Julie B
21st August 2010, 17:34
QUALIFYING
Fords dominate qualifying
Team Aon drivers Tom Onslow-Cole and Tom Chilton made it an all-Ford front-row in Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship qualifying at the Silverstone circuit in Northamptonshire.
The pair put the extra torque generated by the LPG turbo engines in their Ford Focuses to good use on Silverstone’s long straights and were some half a second clear of the rest of the field, headed by the normally-aspirated Silverline Chevrolet Cruze of Alex MacDowall.
Championship leaders Jason Plato and Matt Neal were fourth and fifth. Plato’s Silverline Cruze and Neal’s Honda Racing Team Honda Civic, it should be noted, qualified with 45kgs and 36kgs of success ballast respectively due to their current championship positions.
Onslow-Cole shattered the BTCC’s qualifying record around Silverstone’s short National circuit with a best lap of 59.659s to achieve the fourth pole position of his career. Chilton was 0.222s behind with a time of 59.881s. It means they will line up first and second on the starting grid for the first of tomorrow’s three BTCC races at Silverstone – the first Ford 1-2 in a BTCC qualifying session since 2000.
New Malden-based Onslow-Cole, currently fourth in the standings and who overcame 18kgs of ballast to take pole, said: “I’m really pleased with that one. We knew this would be a good circuit for us but maybe we’re both a bit surprised by the margin. I need three strong results here to keep up the pressure in the title race and pole for race one gives me a great chance of achieving that.”
Surrey’s Chilton, seventh in the table, added: “A really great result for the team in qualifying but I’m slightly gutted Tom got a bit of a tow off me which helped him. Then when I went out again for a final run at the end the circuit seemed to have lost a bit of grip so that was that.”
Oxford-based Plato, who is now just three race wins short of Andy Rouse’s all-time record of 60 in the BTCC, commented: “The Fords seem to be in a class of their own here so I’m looking to be best of the rest. Ideally I’ll at least maintain the 20-point gap I’ve got on Matt as the last three circuits on the calendar will be better for his car.”
Sixth fastest, underlining his strong form in earlier practice, was Andrew Jordan in his NGTC turbocharged Pirtek Racing Vauxhall Vectra. Next up was Paul O'Neill in his Sunshine.co.uk with Tech-Speed Motorsport Honda Integra in seventh - just 1/1000th ahead of eighth-fastest Robert Collard's WSR BMW.
Elsewhere, Mat Jackson - twice a race-winner here last year - was a frustrated 13th. He had his best lap times disallowed mid-way through the session when his Airwaves BMW failed a ride-height check and the best he could muster thereafter was a seventh row starting slot - ironically the same position he started from in 2008 when he came through to finish second.
Meanwhile, Philip Glew's return to the series suffered a blow when his Special Tuning UK SEAT broke a driveshaft, limiting him to just two laps. Martin Depper was unable to participate in the qualifying session due to the damage inflicted on his Forster Motorsport BMW in a crash in second practice. It will be Martin Johnson's Boulevard Vauxhall Astra, however, that brings up the rear on tomorrow's starting grid - the driver unable to be here set a time due to attending a family wedding.
Pos Driver Car Time Gap
1. Tom Onslow-Cole Ford 59.659s
2. Tom Chilton Ford 59.881s + 0.222s
3. Alex MacDowall Chevrolet 1m00.354s + 0.695s
4. Jason Plato Chevrolet 1m00.491s + 0.832s
5. Matt Neal Honda 1m00.528s + 0.869s
6. Andrew Jordan Vauxhall 1m00.636s + 0.977s
7. Paul O'Neill Honda 1m00.661s + 1.002s
8. Rob Collard BMW 1m00.662s + 1.003s
9. James Nash Vauxhall 1m00.863s + 1.204s
10. Gordon Shedden Honda 1m00.922s + 1.263s
11. Steven Kane BMW 1m01.010s + 1.351s
12. Tom Boardman SEAT 1m01.038s + 1.379s
13. Mat Jackson BMW 1m01.191s + 1.532s
14. David Pinkney Vauxhall 1m01.221s + 1.562s
15. John George Honda 1m01.352s + 1.693s
16. Andy Neate BMW 1m01.590s + 1.931s
17. Lea Wood Honda 1m02.056s + 2.397s
18. Arthur Forster BMW 1m02.220s + 2.561s
19. Shaun Hollamby Volkswagen 1m02.369s + 2.710s
20. Philip Glew SEAT
Fords dominate qualifying
Team Aon drivers Tom Onslow-Cole and Tom Chilton made it an all-Ford front-row in Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship qualifying at the Silverstone circuit in Northamptonshire.
The pair put the extra torque generated by the LPG turbo engines in their Ford Focuses to good use on Silverstone’s long straights and were some half a second clear of the rest of the field, headed by the normally-aspirated Silverline Chevrolet Cruze of Alex MacDowall.
Championship leaders Jason Plato and Matt Neal were fourth and fifth. Plato’s Silverline Cruze and Neal’s Honda Racing Team Honda Civic, it should be noted, qualified with 45kgs and 36kgs of success ballast respectively due to their current championship positions.
Onslow-Cole shattered the BTCC’s qualifying record around Silverstone’s short National circuit with a best lap of 59.659s to achieve the fourth pole position of his career. Chilton was 0.222s behind with a time of 59.881s. It means they will line up first and second on the starting grid for the first of tomorrow’s three BTCC races at Silverstone – the first Ford 1-2 in a BTCC qualifying session since 2000.
New Malden-based Onslow-Cole, currently fourth in the standings and who overcame 18kgs of ballast to take pole, said: “I’m really pleased with that one. We knew this would be a good circuit for us but maybe we’re both a bit surprised by the margin. I need three strong results here to keep up the pressure in the title race and pole for race one gives me a great chance of achieving that.”
Surrey’s Chilton, seventh in the table, added: “A really great result for the team in qualifying but I’m slightly gutted Tom got a bit of a tow off me which helped him. Then when I went out again for a final run at the end the circuit seemed to have lost a bit of grip so that was that.”
Oxford-based Plato, who is now just three race wins short of Andy Rouse’s all-time record of 60 in the BTCC, commented: “The Fords seem to be in a class of their own here so I’m looking to be best of the rest. Ideally I’ll at least maintain the 20-point gap I’ve got on Matt as the last three circuits on the calendar will be better for his car.”
Sixth fastest, underlining his strong form in earlier practice, was Andrew Jordan in his NGTC turbocharged Pirtek Racing Vauxhall Vectra. Next up was Paul O'Neill in his Sunshine.co.uk with Tech-Speed Motorsport Honda Integra in seventh - just 1/1000th ahead of eighth-fastest Robert Collard's WSR BMW.
Elsewhere, Mat Jackson - twice a race-winner here last year - was a frustrated 13th. He had his best lap times disallowed mid-way through the session when his Airwaves BMW failed a ride-height check and the best he could muster thereafter was a seventh row starting slot - ironically the same position he started from in 2008 when he came through to finish second.
Meanwhile, Philip Glew's return to the series suffered a blow when his Special Tuning UK SEAT broke a driveshaft, limiting him to just two laps. Martin Depper was unable to participate in the qualifying session due to the damage inflicted on his Forster Motorsport BMW in a crash in second practice. It will be Martin Johnson's Boulevard Vauxhall Astra, however, that brings up the rear on tomorrow's starting grid - the driver unable to be here set a time due to attending a family wedding.
Pos Driver Car Time Gap
1. Tom Onslow-Cole Ford 59.659s
2. Tom Chilton Ford 59.881s + 0.222s
3. Alex MacDowall Chevrolet 1m00.354s + 0.695s
4. Jason Plato Chevrolet 1m00.491s + 0.832s
5. Matt Neal Honda 1m00.528s + 0.869s
6. Andrew Jordan Vauxhall 1m00.636s + 0.977s
7. Paul O'Neill Honda 1m00.661s + 1.002s
8. Rob Collard BMW 1m00.662s + 1.003s
9. James Nash Vauxhall 1m00.863s + 1.204s
10. Gordon Shedden Honda 1m00.922s + 1.263s
11. Steven Kane BMW 1m01.010s + 1.351s
12. Tom Boardman SEAT 1m01.038s + 1.379s
13. Mat Jackson BMW 1m01.191s + 1.532s
14. David Pinkney Vauxhall 1m01.221s + 1.562s
15. John George Honda 1m01.352s + 1.693s
16. Andy Neate BMW 1m01.590s + 1.931s
17. Lea Wood Honda 1m02.056s + 2.397s
18. Arthur Forster BMW 1m02.220s + 2.561s
19. Shaun Hollamby Volkswagen 1m02.369s + 2.710s
20. Philip Glew SEAT