VX Racing again experienced qualifying highs and lows in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship. Gavin Smith claimed his best ever qualifying result for VX Racing at Oulton Park today - the Irishman will start the first of tomorrow's races from fourth on the grid. Team mate Yvan Muller will start from fifth place, but Colin Turkington suffered a frustrating qualifying session and will start ninth.

The three VX Racing Astra Sport Hatch cars demonstrated good pace in the opening laps of the 30-minute qualifying session, with Smith briefly heading the time sheets and Muller and Turkington second and third respectively. In the early stages there was a frantic scramble to claim the fastest lap and times tumbled as the entire field battled for position. When the order settled Smith was lying in third with Muller behind him in fourth and Turkington, in the third VX Racing Astra Sport Hatch, hot on their heels in sixth. In the second half of the session the VX Racing drivers fought hard to improve their lap times, but as the session came to an end Smith was forced to settle for fourth with Muller in fifth and Turkington in ninth.

The VX Racing drivers used the two morning practice sessions to fine tune their set-ups for both qualifying and race laps. In the first session all three drivers adjusted the balance of their VX Racing Astra Sport Hatch cars and prepared for the weekend ahead. Turkington finished the session fifth quickest, with Smith close behind in sixth and Muller in eighth. During the second session all three drivers concentrated on race set-up. This time Muller was the quickest of the VX Racing drivers in eighth place, with Smith in Ninth and Turkington in tenth.

The 2.2-mile Oulton Park circuit usually attracts a large crowd for the BTCC event, and visitors to the picturesque Cheshire venue can expect exciting racing tomorrow as Smith aims to take advantage of his best ever qualifying position and convert it into a podium finish. Muller will be challenging for his third win of season, and although Turkington is disappointed with the qualifying result, he is resolute in his mission for championship points.

Gavin Smith

"At last, some good luck! At Brands Hatch and Thruxton I had such bad luck and didn't get the results. I just hope we can carry this through to tomorrow's races. In qualifying the car and tyres were good over two laps but the track temperature is sky high, so that's all anyone is going to get today, but the balance of the car is very good. In the second free practice we concentrated on race runs and the car was comfortable over 12 or 15 laps, so I think we have a good set-up for tomorrow as well. I'm pleased with today's result."

Yvan Muller

"The car is better, it's faster, but on my first run I made some mistakes and lost a couple of tenths. I probably could have been third or fourth. Today we mostly concentrated on race set-up and I am pleased with that. I am starting from the third row, but we will have good race pace."

Colin Turkington

"I'm disappointed with that result. We're really struggling to get the right balance for the car. It just didn't work out for me today. We're going to make a few changes and the team are working hard to make improvements for tomorrow. It's going to be tough starting from ninth on the grid, but I'll be fighting as hard as I can."

Mike Nicholson, VX Racing Operations Manager

"That's a great result for Gavin. We're close to it [at] just a couple of tenths off, but from fourth and fifth on the grid we can do something and hopefully get the results in the race. We've got good race pace and the cars are holding their tyres well. It's frustrating that we're not in the top spots on the grid, but there is still a long way to go and we'll be battling as hard as ever."

The 2005 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship is the first year of competition for the VX Racing Astra Sport Hatch. This year VX Racing will be aiming to repeat the triple title-winning success of the past four years.