Hill, driving his West Surrey Racing BMW 330e M Sport, ended up on reverse sides of the Norfolk circuit to reigning champion Sutton’s Alliance Racing-run NAPA Racing Ford Focus ST.
5 of the six drivers to make it into the pole shootout opted for slick Goodyear tyres when the solar all of the sudden broke out, and Hill and Sutton regularly traded quickest occasions.
However as a result of ritual amongst front-wheel-drive groups of tyre-crossing within the pits after their out-laps, Sutton caught the chequered flag on his closing flying lap whereas Hill had sneaked onto an additional tour.
Sutton, because the championship chief, had entry to only one second per lap of hybrid enhance, and it seemed as if the routine BTCC miracle employee may need carried out it once more.
Positive sufficient, the Laser Instruments BMW – on seven seconds of hybrid – was down on Sutton’s provisional pole lap within the first sector, however obliterated the Ford’s second and third sectors to nail pole place by the large margin of 0.805 seconds.
Bobby Thompson, Workforce BMW
Photograph by: JEP / Motorsport Images
Thompson, restricted to 9s of hybrid on his season debut, was the one driver to exit on wet-weather tyres, however shortly realised the error of his methods.
He pitted on the finish of his out-lap for slicks, however missed out on the monitor time on slicks and was successfully the very best a part of two laps behind team-mates Hill and Morgan in bringing in his rubber.
“The lap earlier than, I used to be instructed I used to be preventing Josh,” stated Hill of his pole.
“I assumed, ‘You understand what? Let’s simply throw the world at it and see what occurs.’ I used to be both going to shunt and be P6, or be on pole.
“I’m so completely happy – what an ideal option to bounce again from Manufacturers.”