Jason Plato has taken his fifth pole position of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season in qualifying at Rockingham.
Plato, out on his own in the two earlier practice sessions, set the fastest time of the day so far with a lap in 1m22.448s in his MG KX Momentum Racing MG6. Thats a new BTCC qualifying lap record around Rockingham.
Honda Civic drivers were second and third, Yuasa-backed factory ace Gordon Shedden pipping Pirtek Racings Andrew Jordan by just 0.014s to grab a front row starting position alongside Plato.
However, they were some six tenths of a second adrift of Platoanother six tenths then covered Shedden down to Tom Onslow-Cole in 11th.
Mat Jackson produced a late surge of speed to qualify fourth fastest in his Redstone Racing Ford Focus. Plato and Sheddens team-mates Andy Neate and Matt Neal were fifth and sixth.
It should be remembered that Neal, the reigning Champion and current points leader, is racing this weekend in pain with a broken hand and his car in qualifying was carrying the maximum 45kgs of success ballast.
Oxfords Plato commented: From the moment I put my bum in the car this morning its felt greatweve really moved it on but the jobs only half done. Its important I convert pole into a win or two tomorrow as I really need to take a bite out of the Honda drivers in the championship.
Shedden added: "I'm both happy and disappointed with that. On one hand as a team we've got an awful lot out of the car in qualifying. That lap time Ive done is a second faster than pole in 2011 but Im still over six tenths off pole. Six tenths cover second down to 11th. Jason obviously got one heck of a lap out of it but tomorrow is very different with race tactics such as tyre management coming into it..."
And said Jordan: "It was a pretty uneventful session for me. I only did one flying lap and was quite happy with the time so decided to scrub new tyres in for tomorrow. There was no point wasting tyres trying to challenge Jason as it was never going to happen."
Frank Wrathall (Dynojet Toyota Avensis) and Robert Collard (eBay Motors) were seventh and eighth, the latter eager to continue his strong form from three weeks ago at Knockhill where he won twice.
Just 0.110s covered the next four drivers, namely Pirtek Jeff Smith, a fine ninth on home ground, Adam Morgan (Speedworks Toyota Avensis), Tom Onslow-Cole (eBay Motors BMW) and Rob Austin (RAR Audi A4). Dave Newsham (Team ES Racing.com Vauxhall Vectra), a race winner at the last two events, was 13th.
Meanwhile there was an impressive performance from newcomer Howard Fuller, 14th fastest in Team HARD.s Honda Civic and just a second away from Shedden's front-row time...
