Team Aon driver, Tom Chilton claimed the coveted pole position ahead of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship races on Sunday 4th September. The new global Ford Focus seemed to suit the twists and dips of Knockhill as Chilton broke the 53 second barrier to take a front row berth.
The previous BTCC qualifying lap record was of course set by Silverline Chevrolet driver Alex MacDowall last year with a 53.001 second lap. Chilton however had been knocking on the door for a number of laps before eventually crossing the line in 52.999 seconds.
Chilton beamed: “I love this circuit, it’s another front row start around here for me. The new Focus, the new kerbs and the new me (referring to his recent weight loss) just really gelled.
“You can’t be on pole around here without putting in some hard work. There are a few moments during the lap when you think you might go off but you do really need to push at Knockhill.
“As for tomorrow, it’s far easier round here the further you start up the grid. It is difficult to pass and the less cars infront of you the better. Being on pole is justification for all the hard work we’ve put in this year.
“We’ll just see how we go tomorrow,” concluded Chilton.
Elsewhere, leading Scot Gordon Shedden could only manage 5th spot on the grid for tomorrow’s opening race. Shedden will be relatively happy with that considering the amount of extra ballast his Honda Racing Civic was carrying. Fellow Scot Dave Newsham, could only manage to qualify in 21st place in his Special Tuning SEAT Leon.
Shedden’s team-mate, Matt Neal scored a 2nd place finish despite nursing a broken hand. Frank Wrathall pulled together a stunning qualifying lap to claim 3rd in his next generation Toyota Avensis with Rob Austin in his Audi A4 just behind in 5th. 2010 defending Champion, Jason Plato had to settle for 6th, just 0.378 seconds ahead of Championship leader Jackson in 6th.
Click here to see the full qualifying results.
Tickets for tomorrow’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – ADT Fire and Security Raceday supported by Arthur McKay will be available online up to midnight tonight (Box office collection) and also available at the gate tomorrow.
We look forward to seeing you here with us. We’ve uploaded a gallery to the Knockhill Facebook of the qualifying session. Most cars are on two wheels, some spectacular shots courtesy of ASL Photography. Click here to view.