The championship pendulum has swung back in the direction of James Thompson as the defending champion claimed pole for round 17. The Yorkshireman set a time of 1:14.610 to steal the top spot away from Honda Racing’s Matt Neal, who starts alongside Thompson. His chances were further boosted when his team-mate and current points leader, Yvan Muller pulled off to the side of the track just seven minutes in to the 20-minute session, without completing a flying lap.

Thompson commented, “I had a few scrappy laps early in the session, but I stepped it up after each run and put in a death or glory lap at the end. I can feel for Yvan, but if I’m going to win the championship I need things like that to happen to him.”

He continued, “Yvan is under pressure – he is desperate to win the championship, but if he’s going to win, I want to make him work for it!”

Matt Neal, still with an outside chance of taking the championship, was somewhat disappointed at being pipped for pole by Thompson. “That’s the fourth or fifth time this year that he’s beaten me by a tenth or so!” said Neal. “Pole position was in the Honda today. I thought I had it on my last lap, but I made a small mistake.”

Hilton Independent’s Cup leader, Rob Collard, put in the qualifying performance of the season to take third spot on the grid. An enthusiastic Rob said, “It’s fantastic! It’s new territory for me, but I think I’ve proved this year that I’ve got the speed to run at the front.” Despite starting from the lofty heights of the second row, the former hot-rod champion insists that he will not be drawn in to a battle to win the race outright if it compromises his Independents Cup position; “I’ll have to be very cautious. I need to get a good finish and score some more Independents Cup points. My lead was cut to six points at Brands Hatch, so I do not want to do anything to jeopardise my chances of winning that title.”

Starting alongside Collard will be Honda Racing youngster Tom Chilton, with Paul O’Neill and Alan Morrison filling the third row. Anthony Reid, Carl Breeze, Warren Hughes and David Leslie complete the top ten.

Yvan Muller will have his work cut out if he is to keep in tact his current lead over James Thompson, starting from the ninth row of the grid, without having completed a flying lap of the track. However, should the conditions be true to the forecasts for Sunday’s races and the rain falls, then the multiple ice-racing champion may well be in his element on a slippery Donington Park National circuit.

Luke Hines could wrap up the Production class title tomorrow after he took pole in his Barwell Motorsport Honda Civic, with Tom Boardman starting alongside him. Alan Blencowe starts from third, with Jim Edwards fourth and Mark Fullalove fifth. Hines’ championship rival Michael Bentwood starts in sixth position.