Matt Neal took another giant step towards retaining the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship title as he secured a second row grid slot for Sunday’s first race. It was Neal’s Team Halfords teammate Gareth Howell who took pole position on the Silverstone National circuit for the second consecutive season, ahead of Team RAC’s Colin Turkington. Neal’s main rival for the championship, Jason Plato, could only manage the 13th fastest time.

Plato will struggle to stop Neal taking the title after lacking the pace to get him near the front in qualifying. Gearbox gremlins slowed Plato in the morning sessions, but he couldn’t pin down the problem that hindered him in the afternoon.

At the front meanwhile, it was Howell – running for the first time this season without any ‘late entry’ ballast – who topped the times at the end of the session, lapping in 60.411 seconds.

“The car went really well”, said Howell after the session. “Obviously we haven’t got any ballast, but we ran with full weight in the first session and we were there or thereabouts, so I’m really, really pleased.”

Matt Neal commented, “I feel like we’re in a steeplechase with the championship as the target and we’ve just got over the first hurdle. To have Gareth on pole, to be on the front couple of rows myself and to have Flash not far behind as a tailgunner, it’s good news so far.”

“I was concentrating on my own stuff, but without being horrible, it’s not a disappointment for me to see him [Plato] further down the order. It takes the pressure off a bit.”

Although he still has an outside chance of snatching the title, second-on-the-grid Colin Turkington would love to be the first driver to win a BTCC race in a car powered by bio-ethanol fuel.

“Before this meeting, I thought maybe sixth place was where I was going to come”, said Turkington. “Obviously it’s a power circuit and we’re not the quickest down the straight but the chassis is working so well round the corners that our top speed is not such an issue. I’m delighted to be second. I’ve qualified second a few times this year, and I’ve been on the podium, so hopefully we can go one better tomorrow and get a win on this bio-ethanol fuel.”

Darren Turner was the top SEAT in the qualifying session and he will start fourth on the grid for tomorrow’s first race. Fifth was the first of the the Vauxhalls, driven by Tom Chilton. Gordon Shedden starts sixth, with James Thompson seventh. Fabrizio Giovanardi, Mike Jordan and Rob Collard complete the top ten.

Sunday’s first race gets underway at 10.20.