Matt Neal took pole for round five of the championship at Thruxton today. The Hampshire circuit is notoriously hard on tyres but the Honda driver was very pleased with the performance of the new Dunlop rubber, describing them as "excellent." Neal took pole after completing just 5 laps and spent most of the session in his pit garage but is looking forward to starting the race from the front. Speaking shortly after the end of the session, Neal said, “The team have worked really hard and the car is working very well. I’m so pleased with today and now I can’t wait for tomorrow.”

Already this season, Neal has been involved in two controversial incidents, firstly at Mondello in the opening round when GA Motorsports driver Gavin Pyper locked up and ran into the back of Neal’s Honda, sending them both into the kitty litter. An exchange of words ensued with Neal calling Pyper, “a plonker.”

The second incident occurred in Round Three at Brands Hatch when Neal made a controversial move on race leader, VX Racing’s Paul O’Neill on the final lap and went on to take the race win as the Astra of O’Neill limped home in third. However, the move did not come without a penalty with Neal being fined £500 for his trouble. Commenting on the incidents, Neal said, “At least I’m keeping the Championship alive!”

GA Motorsports Gavin Pyper had a storming day after going second quickest in the first practice session and was just 0.010 seconds from Muller who set the fastest time in practice. Pyper went on to qualify as top Independent driver and sixth overall, just over a second slower than pole sitter, Matt Neal.

Although VX Racing’s James Thompson qualified in second place just ahead of Honda’s Alan Morrison, the heavily ballasted Vauxhall Astras struggled on the fast circuit. Muller and O'Neill qualified in fourth and fifth respectively.

Team PSP driver Phil Bennett went off very early in the session before being able to set a time and will start Monday’s first race from the back of the grid. It wasn't a good day for the PSP driver as he went off during the practice session also. The team are experimenting with the new suspension package this weekend and are hoping for a better day tomorrow. David Leslie qualified back in 15th place.

Probably the biggest surprise of the day was the disappointing performance of the MG's. After his stunning outing at Brands Hatch in the second race, Colin Turkington out qualified his experienced team mates, Hughes and Reid who appeared to be struggling today.

Meanwhile in the Production class, Team Varta Racing’s Tom Boardman qualified first with Edenbridge’s, Michael Bentwood in second and Barwell’s Luke Hines closely following in third place. The Barwell driver managed to redeem himself after missing the weigh scales during the qualifying session, and losing his times up to that point as a result.