Front-row start for BMW and WSR at Brands Hatch

BMW and WSR will line-up second and third on the grid at Brands Hatch following a thrilling and chaotic rain-soaked British Touring Car Championship qualifying session on Saturday.

Team BMW’s Colin Turkington narrowly missed out on a record fifth pole position on the Kent circuit’s Indy lay-out; the scene of three 24-lap races on Sunday, having triumphed over Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport’s Jake Hill in a tense battle in the ‘Top-Ten Showdown’.

“I am really happy for Colin and Jake,” commented Team Principal Dick Bennetts. “Considering those conditions, we are very pleased with second and third on the grid. I thought we might have had a one-two, but Dan Cammish came in and put a new set of fronts on at the end.

“We’ve worked hard on the car to improve it in the rain and I am very pleased with how the BMW 330e M Sport has performed. It puts us in a good position for tomorrow if it’s dry. Adam was unfortunate to spin when the conditions were at their worst, and Nic Hamilton was there.”

**Stephen Jelley, Team BMW BMW 330e M Sport,**

In fact, BMW might even have secured an unprecedented wet-weather front-row lock-out until both drivers were usurped in the final moments of the session, by a front-wheel driven rival on a last-gasp new-tyre run.

Local hero Jake set the early pace in the almost-dry opening free practice session and continued to lead the quartet of BMW 330e M Sports in the much wetter second session.

But the rain continued unabated into the two-part qualifying session, the first part of which was red-flagged three times due to weather-related incidents.

One of these sadly afflicted Team BMW newcomer Adam Morgan, who collided with a stranded car while spinning himself at Paddock Hill Bend. The Lancashire driver will line-up 24th, six places behind team-mate Stephen Jelley.

Jake set the fastest time of all at the end of that chaotic 30-minute session and he and four-time champion Colin then traded fastest times for much of the 10-minute shoot-out.

In the end the Northern Irishman’s final lap was enough to settle the fight for the final front-row spot, but it was close; the pair separated by just 0.006s when the chequered flag fell.