SEAT driver Darren Turner (Leamington-Spa) has taken Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship pole position at the Rockingham circuit in Northamptonshire.

On his final lap, Turner, in his SEAT Leon, set a time of 1m24.908s to edge out the Vauxhall Vectra of Italian Fabrizio Giovanardi by just 0.028s and nick top spot for the first of tomorrow's (Sunday) three BTCC rounds.

Turner’s team-mate and the championship leader Jason Plato (Oxford) was third fastest with a best time of 1m24.253s.

Turner, only tenth in the current championship standings, said: "That was a bit tight. My first run run didn’t work out and on the second I got a lot of slower cars in my way. It meant I had just one lap left and, fortunately, it all came together.

"Let’s hope being on pole means I can get some good results and stay out of trouble. I need to get my title chances back on track."

Team RAC BMW 320si driver Colin Turkington (Portadown) qualified fourth fastest, but later had all his times disallowed after his car failed a weight check procedure at the end of the session. Turkington was thus relegated to the back of the 26-car grid.

Promoted to fourth was Vauxhall's Tom Chilton (Reigate) and, to a best-ever fifth, Irish driver Eoin Murray in Quest Racing's Alfa Romeo 156. Reigning champion Matt Neal (Droitwich), second in the current standings in his Team Halfords Honda Civic, completed the top six.