Qualifying: Double poles for Muller

Yvan Muller secured both poles. "It couldn't be better, he said. "It's the best way to start and I already have a two-point lead."

The expected opposition from team-mate James Thompson went up in smoke, though, along with his engine. "It just went before I'd even done a flying lap," said Thompson. "And that's one engine gone already from the four or five we're allowed in the year, so it's a bit of a double whammy. C'est la vie, there's nothing I can do about it now."

That means Thompson starts from the back of the BTC Touring pack in both races. When Muller overshot his pit, and then the wheel-less car dropped off its jacks, Vauxhall's attack showed some flaws, but Muller cleared his mind and went even quicker for the second pole.

Egg-backed Astra driver Matt Neal will line up second for both races, despite a small indiscretion which wiped the front spoiler off at Paddock. "We didn't have time to come in for adjustments, so I did it out on track," he quipped after the new-look single hyphenated session - 20 minutes to set the grid for round one split from 20 minutes for round two by a three minute neutral period.

MG and Peugeot took a third slot each with Anthony Reid on top for round one and Dan Eaves for round two. Reid ran into a power steering problem before he could set another quick time for race two, but MG was pleased that a new set-up direction he - and not team mate Warren Hughes - took looks to have put them on the right course.

Eaves was full of enthusiasm after his top showing - he was also fourth quickest for round one. "It's a great start and there's still more to come so we can kick the Vauxhalls into touch in the races," said Dan. Team-mate Tim Harvey was sixth fastest in both segments.

Paul O'Neill was the other surprise package, knuckling down in the later stages of the session to produce a time good enough for the outside of row two for round two. Youngster Tom Chilton will start fifth and seventh as his impressive form continues.

In BTC Production, Mark Fullalove holds the whip hand in the Peugeot 306, with strongest opposition coming from the GA Racing Alfas of Graham Saunders and Alan Blencowe and the Beacon Motorsport Honda Accords.


1 Yvan Muller (Vauxhall Astra Coupe) 1m33.105s, 101.41mph
2 Matt Neal (Vauxhall Astra Coupe) 1m33.405s, 101.08mph
3 Anthony Reid (MG ZS) 1m33.756s, 100.70mph
4 Dan Eaves (Peugeot 406 Coupe) 1m33.800s, 100.66mph
5 Tom Chilton (Vauxhall Astra Coupe) 1m34.066s, 100.37mph
6 Tim Harvey (Peugeot 406 Coupe) 1m34.091s, 100.35mph
7 Andy Priaulx (Honda Civic Type R) 1m34.346s, 100.07mph
8 Warren Hughes (MG ZS) 1m34.369s, 100.05mph
9 Paul O'Neill (Vauxhall Astra Coupe) 1m34.409s, 100.01mph
10 Alan Morrison (Honda Civic Type R) 1m34.534s, 99.88mph


1 Mark Fullalove (Peugeot 306) 1m39.072s, 95.30mph
2 Graham Saunders (Alfa Romeo 156) 1m39.197s, 95.18mph
3 Alan Blencowe (Alfa Romeo 156) 1m39.391s, 94.99mph


1 Yvan Muller (Vauxhall Astra Coupe) 1m32.992s, 101.53mph
2 Matt Neal (Vauxhall Astra Coupe) 1m33.465s, 101.02mph
3 Dan Eaves (Peugeot 406 Coupe) 1m33.583s, 100.89mph
4 Paul O'Neill (Vauxhall Astra Coupe) 1m33.599s 100.87mph
5 Warren Hughes (MG ZS) 1m33.955s, 100.49mph
6 Tim Harvey (Peugeot 406 Coupe) 1m34.039s, 100.40mph
7 Tom Chilton (Vauxhall Astra Coupe) 1m34.149s, 100.28mph
8 Anthony Reid (MG ZS) 1m34.461s, 99.95mph
9 Aaron Slight (Vauxhall Astra Coupe) 1m34.486s, 99.93mph
10 David Leslie (Proton Impian) 1m34.606s, 99.80mph


1 Mark Fullalove (Peugeot 306) 1m38.712s, 95.65mph
2 Spencer Marsh (Honda Accord) 1m38.800s, 95.56mph
3 Mark Thomas (Honda Accord) 1m39.159s, 95.22mph