The Vauxhall Motorsport pairing of Yvan Muller and James Thompson utterly dominated both segments of today’s qualifying session for Rounds Five and Six of the Green Flag MSA British Touring Car Championship.

Putting the disappointment of the last race weekend behind them – when both cars hit problems when lying in first and second place in the Feature Race - the Vauxhall duo were in a league of their own this afternoon around the ultra-fast 2.3 mile Hampshire circuit.

Thompson made the early running in the session, but Muller shadowed his every move, and with just ten minutes gone he pipped his team mate by 2/100ths of a second to grab pole. Try as he might, Thompson had no answer to Muller, but with over a second in hand to their nearest rival, Thompson’s position was never threatened.

It was a similar story in qualifying for the Feature Race, although Muller eked out a greater advantage to Thompson during the second segment, the Frenchman ending the session 3/10ths of a second clear of Thompson.

As Muller said:

“The first segment was really tough and the lap times between James and I were really close. I feel that James is back at his best level now – he is very strong and for sure it’s going to be harder to beat him than my team mate Plato from last season. We have a good relationship – we fight hard on the track but have a good atmosphere out of the car.”

Having been quickest in official testing a month ago, Anthony Reid was always going to be a threat in his MG Sport and Racing ZS – and although he couldn’t touch the pace of the Vauxhalls, he qualified third for the Sprint Race and a comfortable fourth for the Feature Race.

Just squeezing him out of third position for the Feature Race was Matt Neal for Egg Sport. Neal had double pole last time out at Oulton Park but endured two dreadful races and will be looking to make amends this weekend. He will line up fourth, just behind Reid, for the Sprint Race.

Reid’s team mate, Warren Hughes, made a big effort in the first segment to leap up from seventh on the grid to fifth for the Sprint Race with just four minutes remaining. Likewise, Honda Racing’s Andy Priaulx put in an impressive performance throughout the session, rounding out the top six for the Sprint Race and claiming fifth position for the pit-stop Feature Race with just minutes remaining.

Whilst it was all action at the front in the pursuit of qualifying honours, others experienced action of a less desirable sort. Towards the end of the first segment, Gareth Howell was overtaken by one of the front wheels off his Team Atomic Kitten MG at the sweeping Goodwood Corner – and subsequently took no further part in proceedings. And Dan Eaves’ pit crew at Team Halfords spent most of qualifying busy in their pit garage trying to trace the source of an engine misfire. Thankfully for Eaves this was successfully resolved before the session ended and he was able to rescue sixth position for the Feature Race.

The battle for pole position was also fierce in the Production category. Synchro Motorsport’s James Kaye claimed yet another double pole in his Honda Civic Type-R with a time of 1:22.837 in the first segment and 1:22.465 in the second. Tech-speed Motorsport’s Mark Fullalove and Gavin Pyper, 2002 newcomer in the Gary Ayles Motorsport outfit, were nose to tail during both segments, qualifying in second and third positions respectively for the Sprint Race, switching places on the grid for the Feature Race.

Despite carrying an extra 9kgs to Kaye and Pyper, Fullalove was only 8/10ths of a second off the pole pace for the Sprint Race and Scotsman Pyper was only 5/10ths of a second behind for the Feature Race.

Kaye, who held a significant advantage in qualifying last time out at Oulton Park – a one second gap in the Sprint Race and a mighty two second gap for the Feature Race - commented:

“It was great to have a double pole here at Thruxton but in comparison to Oulton Park, I found qualifying much harder work. The car seemed to suit the Cheshire circuit but this circuit is tougher and faster. And we still don’t have a base set-up so every time we go out we are learning more about the car. Saying that, I am still confident in the team and in myself so am hoping to convert today’s double pole into a double win tomorrow!”

Sparks will be flying tomorrow as the doors to the championship are clearly still wide open. Poleman Kaye will not only have to keep a close eye in his rear view mirrors for Fullalove’s Peugeot 306 and Pyper’s Alfa 156 but also for current championship leader Norman Simon in his Edenbridge Racing prepared BMW 320i and the Oulton Park Feature Race winner, Spencer Marsh in his Honda Accord. Simon will have to pull off another of his infamous starts to make his way from the back of the grid after missing both segments due to Le Mans commitments abroad and Marsh will be looking to improve on his grid positions of fifth (Sprint Race) and fourth (Feature Race) places. The Beacon Motorsport driver was at a distinct disadvantage for qualifying today with his 42kgs of success ballast.

The Sprint Race will commence tomorrow, Bank Holiday Monday, at 12:40 and the Feature Race at 16:15. Hold onto your seats as the fastest circuit in Britain is sure to kick up a few surprises for Rounds Five and Six of the most prestigious domestic motorsport series in the UK, the Green Flag MSA British Touring Car Championship.