BMW and WSR locked out the third row in the fastest British Touring Car Championship qualifying session of the year at Thruxton on Saturday.
Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport’s Jake Hill and Team BMW’s Colin Turkington – who are both contenders for this year’s title – put their BMW 330e M Sports fifth and sixth on the grid for the first of Sunday’s three races.
This was after relentless session at the BTCC’s quickest track, which turned into a five-minute dash for pole position after a late stoppage.
“I said before qualifying that if we could be fifth and sixth here – at a front-wheel-drive circuit – I’d be happy with that,” commented Team Principal, Dick Bennetts. “Fifth and sixth is exactly what we managed. We always race better here and we have the reversed-grid for Race Three to consider too.
“We’ll have a long discussion tonight about how to find a bit more speed, but generally I think we’re about where we expected to be with the BMWs.”
Kent racer Jake had set his best time of the session just before the red flags and was followed swiftly by four-time champion Colin. Neither driver improved after the stoppage as track conditions began to fall away, but secured fifth and sixth.
Fellow Team BMW drivers Adam Morgan and Stephen Jelley qualified 15th and 16th; Adam losing a time that would have put him inside the top-10 to a track-limit offence.
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