BTCC // FORD TAKES FRONT ROW @ DONINGTON

Team Aon produced a dominant qualifying performance at Donington Park to lock out the front row of the grid for Sundays 1st race of the penultimate round of the 2010 season. Tom Chilton recorded a best lap of 1min 11.328 seconds to end the session just ahead of Ford team-mate Tom Onslow-Cole as the series makes a welcome return to the Leicestershire circuit following the historic venue's near demise... [read more]

Behind the two Arena motorsport LPG Fords on the second row will be Team Honda's Gordon Shedden and the Chevrolet Cruze of championship leader Jason Plato. Plato who had been quickest in the first free practice session completed qualifying with the maximum 45kg of championship ballast which makes his second row start even more impressive.

The slowest of the runners who can still take this years crown was Matt Neal in the second Honda Civic with the former double BTCC champion setting a time good enough for the inside of row three just under three tenths away from Chilton's pole lap.

Quickest rear wheel drive car was the WSR BMW of Rob Collard who will line up in eighth place of the grid. Collard's team-mate at WSR Andy Neate caused the half hour session to be briefly halted after he lost control of his BMW and became beached in the gravel at Redgate.

Team Airwaves BMW driver Stephen Kane was forced to sit out the session completely after mechanical problems with his BMW 320si.

Unfortunately taking no further part in the weekend was Martin Depper after his Forster Motorsport BMW suffered engine problems during the 1st free practice session.



Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship 2010

Qualifying Results Donington Park Saturday 18th September:

1. Tom Chilton Team Aon Ford Focus ST 1min 11.328secs
2. Tom Onslow-Cole Team Aon Ford Focus ST 1min 11.409secs
3. Gordon Shedden Team Honda Honda Civic 1min 11.448secs
4. Jason Plato Silverline Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze 1min 11.542secs
5. Matt Neal Team Honda Honda Civic 1min 11.604secs
6. Andrew Jordan Pirtek Racing Vauxhall Vectra 1min 11.717secs
7. Paul O'Neill sunshine.co.uk Honda Integra 1min 11.822secs
8. Robert Collard West Surrey Racing BMW 320si 1min 11.834secs
9. Tom Boardman Special Tuning (UK) SEAT Leon 1min 11.916secs
10. Alex MacDowall Silverline Chevrolet Chevrolet Cruze 1min 11.919secs
11. Mat Jackson Airwaves BMW BMW 320si 1min 12.010secs
12. James Nash Triple Eight Vauxhall Vectra 1min 12.298secs
13. James Kaye WRC Developments with Barwell Honda Integra 1min 13.100secs
14. Andy Neate West Surrey Racing BMW 320si 1min 13.221secs
15. Lea Wood Central Group Racing Honda Integra 1min 13.287secs
16. John George sunshine.co.uk Honda Integra 1min 13.456secs
17. Martin Johnson Boulevard Team Racing Vauxhall Astra 1min 13.900secs
18. Dave Pinkney Pinkney Motorsport Vauxhall Vectra 1min 13.927secs
19. Shaun Hollamby AmdMilltekRacing.com Volkswagen Golf 1min 14.208secs
20. Arthur Forster Forster Motorsport BMW 320si 1min 15.140secs
21. Steven Kane Airwaves BMW BMW 320si No time
22. Martin Depper Forster Motorsport BMW 320si Withdrawn

Editorial: Neil Tozer
Photos: BTCC