BTCC Brands Hatch: Smith takes shock first pole with well-timed lap

The qualifying period was affected by two red flags and a mid-session rain shower which mixed up the order and ruined many drivers' programmes.

Colin Turkington led early on from his WSR BMW 125i M Sport team-mate Andrew Jordan when the first red flag was shown as Dave Newsham dropped his BTC Chevrolet Cruze at the top of Paddock Hill Bend.

When the running resumed, practice pacesetter Tom Ingram put his Speedworks Toyota Avensis on provisional pole before Eurotech Racing's Smith planted his Honda Civic Type R at the top.

That proved to be perfectly timed, as the red flags came out again shortly after when Ash Sutton also went off at Paddock Hill in his Team BMR Subaru, leading to a lengthy break as his car was recovered.

While the session did resume, a late downpour caused several cars to skate off later on and thwarted any further significant improvements, securing Smith top slot.

"That was amazing," said Smith.

"It was a mega lap at the right time - I found some space, and I got a tow from Matt Neal.

"I always think that I have a performance like this in me - that is why I'm here - so I'll always keep pushing, but it is physically executing it that means everything and I've managed that."

Behind Smith, Ingram held on to second, while Team Dynamics drivers Gordon Shedden and Matt Neal will share the second row of the grid ahead of Sunday's first race in their Honda Civic Type Rs.

Turkington ended the session fifth from Adam Morgan (Ciceley Racing Mercedes-Benz A-Class), Smith's team-mate Jack Goff and Handy Motorsport's Rob Austin, who was one of the few drivers able to improve notably after the second red flag.

Jake Hill (Team Hard VW CC) and the third Dynamics Honda of Matt Simpson rounded out the top 10.

Former champion Jordan was 11th, while double champion Jason Plato was the leading Subaru Levorg GT in 18th position as the team struggled with handling woes.

QUALIFYING RESULT: