Menu takes Feature race pole

The track was wet, due to an absolute downpour shortly before the session was due to begin, delaying the start and drenching the track.

The 1997 Champion was delighted with his lap of 57.774s, set early on in the session.

'We knew the car went well in the wet,' he said afterwards.

Menu went on to explain one of the particularities of the Knockhill circuit. 'It's very strange; as the track dries, it does not get faster. So no-one beat my time.'

Alongside him on the grid for Sunday's 40 lap race will be his 1998 team-mate, Jason Plato, driving a Renault Laguna.

His times improved gradually throughout the session, finally taking second with a lap of
57.851 in the last minutes.

He thus relegated current Championship leader Laurent Aiello to third place.

This is Aiello's first visit to the Scottish track, but the 1998 Le Mans winner appears to have adapted well, setting the fastest time during Friday's test day.

Leading Independent Matt Neal was unlucky this morning.

Fourth fastest early in the session, his Nissan Primera was hit by a mystery misfire, which left him stranded in the pits while others were improving. He qualified seventh.

Gabriele Tarquini, brought in from the German STW Championship to boost the Honda team for this round, turned out to be the fastest of the Honda drivers, qualifying eighth, with Thompson ninth and Kox 11th on the grid.

Will Hoy, driving the independently-entered Arena Motorsport Renault Laguna, failed a ride-height test mid-session, and had his times cancelled, qualifying 16th and last.