BTCC Knockhill: Cammish beats BMWs of Jelley/Jordan for maiden pole

The Team Dynamics Civic Type R driver grabbed top slot with four minutes to go in the 30-minute session to eclipse Andrew Jordan (WSR BMW 125i M Sport) and annex the top time by just 0.051 seconds.

The session was stopped in the opening minute as Bobby Thompson's Team Hard VW CC, which had been off the road in the opening practice session and did not take part in the second, stopped with a technical problem.

That dropped oil on the track, bringing the session to a halt as a stretch of the track between the pit exit and Clark's corner was treated, and meant the faster times came at the end of the session.

Cammish, who was stripped of pole position at Brands Hatch at the start of the season for a weighbridge infringement and also narrowly missed out at Snetterton in July, said he was relieved to have finally banked top spot.

"Once I had done the lap, I had the same feeling I had at Brands Hatch where I knew I couldn't have done a better lap," said Cammish.

"Having come so close before, I was wondering what I had to do to snag a pole. It means the world to me."

Cammish's pole, which smashed the previous qualifying benchmark of 51.521s from 2016, came after a battle with the BMWs of Jordan and Stephen Jelley's team Parker Racing-run 125i M Sport. Jelley snatched a front row start on his final lap.

The Leicester racer said: "At other places we have maybe struggled for straight line speed, but there aren't any long straights here.

"The car has been handling brilliantly and I could just romp all over the kerbs.

"I had done some simulator work before I got here and I was in a good mindset, but I am really pleased we have managed to show what we could do."

Jordan was disappointed to be relegated to third in the dying moments, having been the first man to lap the Fife track in under 51s with just five minutes remaining.

"I am disappointed because we left something on the table there," said the 2013 champion.

"I was pleased with the 50.9s, but the session was just scruffy after that with lots of red flags which ruined things for us."

Behind the top three, championship leader Colin Turkington performed excellently to place his WSR BMW 125i M Sport on the second row despite carrying the maximum load of 75kg of success ballast.

Row three will be shared by Chris Smiley (BTC Norlin Honda Civic) and Tom Ingram, who is second in the points and has 66kg on his Toyota Avensis.

Tom Oliphant (Mercedes A-Class) was seventh ahead of defending champion Ash Sutton, with Adam Morgan and Power Maxed Racing Vauxhall driver Josh Cook completing the top 10.

Qualifying result