A storming performance by Snetterton winner Jake Hill put WSR and BMW on the second row of the grid for tomorrow’s opening British Touring Car Championship race at Thruxton.
The Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport driver arrived at the UK’s fastest circuit off the back of a dominant double win in wet and dry weather at the previous round and continued his excellent form by setting the pace in opening practice.
He then negotiated the rounds of qualifying aboard his BMW 330e M Sport to make it into the final ‘Quick Six’ pole shoot-out; his best effort putting him third on the grid, just 0.289 seconds away from pole position.
His result means that WSR BMWs have qualified on the front two rows of the grid at each of the four events held in 2024.
Team BMW’s Adam Morgan, who had qualified in the top three for each of the past two events, set top-five times in both practice sessions and looked set to challenge for the top spot as he easily progressed from Q1.
However, the Lancashire racer – a five-time BTCC race winner at Thruxton – agonisingly missed a spot in Q3 by just nine thousandths of a second and will instead start seventh.
Four-time champion Colin Turkington – himself a four-time Thruxton winner – starts 10th. Due to his second place in Drivers’ Championship, the Northern Irishman was entitled to fewer seconds of hybrid boost than all by one rival in qualifying.
With the extra 60bhp available for only three seconds – compared to the 15s of most of the field – his performance was restricted and he will start on the fifth row of the grid.
Tomorrow’s three races will be screened live on ITV4 and online on ITV X in the UK and will also be available to watch anywhere in the world on the ITV Sport TikTok channel.
What they said…
Jake Hill, Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport
Adam Morgan, Team BMW
Colin Turkington, Team BMW
Dick Bennetts, Team Principal