Tom Chilton has gone fastest in the first of this morning’s two practice sessions at Brands Hatch. The Team Halfords driver set a stunning lap time of 49.173, a time which was two tenths faster than the race lap record he set at the track back in 2006.
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Around a sunny Brands Hatch circuit the session proved to be extremely competitive, with 16 drivers covered by less than a second. Less than a tenth of a second behind Chilton was Vauxhall’s Tom Onslow-Cole, whilst the second Dynamics Civic of Gordon Shedden was third fastest.
The top independent BMW’s of Colin Turkington and Mat Jackson were fourth and fifth fastest, followed by the top SEAT driven by Darren Turner.
Championship leader Fabrizio Giovanardi was seventh fastest, with his nearest championship rival Jason Plato down in eleventh position, although only two tenths of a second slower than the Italian. With times so close it makes this afternoon’s qualifying session all the more important, as one small slip up from a driver could cost them a handful of places on the grid.
Turkish racer Erkut Kizilirmak had intended to race the ex-Yvan Muller Vauxhall Astra coupe that hasn’t been since in the BTCC since 2004. However he only managed a couple of slow laps in the car, reporting serious engine problems meaning that the car cannot run anymore this weekend, shattering Erkut’s ‘dream’ of racing the car.
The second free practice session is scheduled to take place at 12:20.
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