Championship leader Michael Meadows sets the testing pace in ScotlandAhmad Al Harthy heads Pro-Am1Top 10 drivers covered by half a secondMichael Meadows underlined his status as the man to beat in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at Knockhill today (Friday 24 August) by being fastest in both test sessions at the Scottish track.Though rain was threatening, both sessions were largely dry and Meadows (Redline Racing) was quickest in both sessions to get his weekend off to a perfect start. The roller-coaster track at Knockhill is a place where title aspirations have faltered in the past and Meadows knows that the safest place to be is out front. Setting the pace in testing was just the build up that he wanted for rounds 13 and 14 of the 20-race season.Its always going to be close round here, said Meadows. But it is much easier from pole position. There was a bit more time to come in the second session but then there were spots of rain on the screen. Meadows starts the weekend with a 36-point championship lead and is determined to at least maintain his advantage.However, a gaggle of drivers is queuing up to challenge Meadows in the incredibly closely matched pack. Ending the day second best, just 63-thousandths of a second behind Meadows, was Ben Barker (Parr Motorsport) with an excellent run in the generally faster morning session. Jonas Gelzinis (Juta Racing) completed the top three and was even closer to Barker, with a deficit of only 12-thousandths of a second. Everything is okay, reported the Lithuanian racer. We didnt improve on new tyres as I made a couple of small mistakes: we can be quicker with new tyres in qualifying.Rory Butcher (Celtic Speed) upheld the honour of Scotland with fourth best time at his home track, little more than a quarter of a second adrift of Meadows. With the forecast for Saturdays being unsettled, Butcher is likely to be a very strong contender.Fifth fastest was double Snetterton winner Sam Tordoff (Team Parker Racing). The morning session was very good and were very consistent, said Tordoff. We just need to find a tenth or two, he added. Wrapping up the top six, still only a third of a second slower than Meadows, was Porsche Scholarship driver Daniel Lloyd (JD Pierce with Team Parker), while Knockhill debutant Andy Meyrick (Team Parker Racing) was next up.Ahmad Al Harthy (Redline/Oman Air) topped Pro-Am2 with a time that was good enough for tenth overall and left him right on the tail of the Pro drivers. However, things are very close in Pro-Am1 with less than half a second covering the top three drivers. Leading the chase of the Omani racer were Derek Pierce (JD Pierce with Team Parker) and Victor Jimenez (Redline/Oman Air). In Pro-Am2, Tania Mann (sibsport performance) will run solo and concentrated on learning the track in testing.