Giovanardi: Difficult to beat SEAT

The Italian, who is the reigning champion and current championship leader, qualified fourth on the grid, over half a second behind Jason Plato who led an all-SEAT diesel-powered front row.

But with 45kg of success ballast compared to Plato's 18kg, Giovanardi says his best hope of increasing his points lead is to bide his time while carrying maximum ballast and strike when the weight reduces in the second and third races.

"The first race will be really difficult," Giovanardi told autosport.com. "They have no ballast, but there is no reason to fight with them in that race. We just try to get points and then, when the ballast is reversed, we try to make bigger points."

Plato admitted that the turbo diesel SEATs are well suited to the Snetterton circuit and hopes to work himself back into the title race this weekend.

"To be honest, the circuit flatters our car," he said. "We have tremendous power from the Leon TDI. But it's thanks to the team as well because we've eradicated 25 per cent of the understeer we used to get in the corners, so we've been able to exploit the engine a bit more than previously."