BTCC Brands Hatch: Goff takes pole after Cammish gets penalty
Jack Goff took his Eurotech Racing Honda Civic Type R to the first British Touring Car Championship pole of the 2018 season ahead of tomorrow's races at Brands Hatch
Motorbase Performance driver Sam Tordoff qualified second ahead of WSR's Colin Turkington.
The 27-year-old scored his third pole in as many race meetings after gaining the top spot halfway through the 30-minute session.
This was because Dan Cammish's Team Dynamics Honda Civic Type R was stripped of the quickest time as he failed to stop for a red light at the weighbridge.
Goff, who took pole in the last two rounds of 2017 at Silverstone and Brands Hatch Grand Prix, clocked a time of 48.038s, which put him second to Cammish's 47.946s.
But the Honda man had all of his times wiped after his indiscretion midway through the session.
Cammish returned to the circuit and claimed fourth place, but was distraught after his error.
"I am heartbroken. I am through the floor," he said.
"Those were some of the best laps I have ever driven in a new car and with front-wheel drive - and I feel like I have been robbed.
"I glanced at the red light as I came down the pit road and there were radio messages in my ear and it was confusing - I panicked.
"I didn't know whether to stop in the pit road or carry on and I went back to the garage.
"I wonder if that was just TOCA [BTCC organisers] just trying to catch the new boy out.
"Despite all that, fourth isn't too bad and if I wasn't motivated before now, I certainly am now."
Speaking about his fourth BTCC pole, Goff said: "We were in P2 and then all of a sudden we were P1, but I will take it any way it comes."
Sharing the front row with Goff will be Ford Focus driver Tordoff, who is returning to the championship after a year racing GT cars.
The six-time BTCC race winner explained that being patient was the key to unlocking the speed from his car.
"I did a time, and then spent a couple of laps cooling the car down and looking for a space," he said.
"I was just biding my time, waiting for the right gap and it came to me."
Colin Turkington ended up third in his BWM 125i M Sport after setting the pace early on, while his team-mate Andrew Jordan was fifth behind Cammish.
Matt Neal rounded out the top six in the second Team Dynamics Honda Civic Type R.
The top 10 was completed by Tordoff's Motorbase team-mate Tom Chilton, Matt Simpson in his Eurotech Civic, Tom Ingram's Speedworks Toyota and Goff's team-mate Brett Smith.
Rob Austin was 11th fastest in the brand new HMS Racing Alfa Romeo Giulietta.
Further back, reigning champion Ash Sutton, who is racing his Team BMR Subaru with the older specification Mountune engine, was 18th.
His team-mate Jason Plato, who has the team's newer Swindon Racing Engines-tuned powerplant, was 29th.
Qualifying results
Pos | Driver | Team | Car | Gap | Laps |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Jack Goff | Eurotech Racing | Honda | 48.038s | 25 |
2 | Sam Tordoff | Motorbase | Ford | 0.093s | 28 |
3 | Colin Turkington | WSR | BMW | 0.105s | 28 |
4 | Dan Cammish | Team Dynamics | Honda | 0.107s | 27 |
5 | Andrew Jordan | WSR | BMW | 0.114s | 31 |
6 | Matt Neal | Team Dynamics | Honda | 0.126s | 27 |
7 | Tom Chilton | Motorbase | Ford | 0.191s | 28 |
8 | Matt Simpson | Eurotech Racing | Honda | 0.208s | 24 |
9 | Tom Ingram | Speedworks | Toyota | 0.219s | 24 |
10 | Brett Smith | Eurotech Racing | Honda | 0.230s | 27 |
11 | Rob Austin | HMS Racing | Alfa Romeo | 0.251s | 27 |
12 | Josh Cook | Power Maxed Racing | Vauxhall | 0.272s | 27 |
13 | Adam Morgan | Ciceley Motorsport | Mercedes | 0.290s | 29 |
14 | James Cole | Motorbase | Ford | 0.341s | 24 |
15 | Tom Oliphant | Ciceley Motorsport | Mercedes | 0.358s | 29 |
16 | Chris Smiley | BTC Norlin | Honda | 0.364s | 27 |
17 | Aiden Moffat | Laser Tools Racing | Mercedes | 0.381s | 30 |
18 | Ash Sutton | Team BMR | Subaru | 0.399s | 26 |
19 | Rob Collard | WSR | BMW | 0.418s | 31 |
20 | Stephen Jelley | Team Parker Racing | BMW | 0.435s | 28 |
21 | Senna Proctor | Power Maxed Racing | Vauxhall | 0.440s | 27 |
22 | Mike Bushell | Team Hard | Volkswagen | 0.612s | 25 |
23 | Ollie Jackson | AmD Tuning | Audi | 0.614s | 24 |
24 | Rory Butcher | AmD Tuning | MG | 0.677s | 25 |
25 | Jake Hill | Team Hard | Volkswagen | 0.691s | 20 |
26 | James Nash | BTC Norlin | Honda | 0.733s | 27 |
27 | Bobby Thompson | Team Hard | Volkswagen | 0.806s | 28 |
28 | Tom Boardman | AmD Tuning | MG | 0.815s | 23 |
29 | Jason Plato | Team BMR | Subaru | 0.881s | 29 |
30 | Michael Caine | Team Hard | Volkswagen | 0.921s | 24 |
31 | Josh Price | Team BMR | Subaru | 1.136s | 28 |
32 | Sam Smelt | AmD Tuning | Audi | 1.181s | 29 |
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