Thompson takes pole at home track

tomorrow's Feature race.
Second quickest was reigning champion Rickard Rydell, the Volvo S40 driver some 0.35 seconds slower than Thompson.

Third and fourth went to the Nissan Primera duo of David Leslie and championship leader Laurent Aiello.

The Nissan squad will be anxious to go well here, as this is the track closest to their UK factory, in Sunderland.

Very little happened for the first half of the session, with the works drivers sitting tight while the Independents did their best.

With 10 minutes to go, many drivers still hadn't set a time - and with rain threatening to fall, this was a real gamble.

With five minutes left, Thompson set a stunning time, a fraction quicker than anyone managed in Friday's test session.

The two Nissan drivers still hadn't set a time - but when they did, one end of the circuit was damp, and
they fell short by just under half a second.

Matt Neal, the leading Independent runner, put his Nissan Primera fifth overall, just behind the factory cars.

Paula Cook is his nearest rival, but she is down in fourteenth in her Honda Accord, some 1.6s slower than Neal.

It looks like it could be wet for the One-Shot Showdown, which will set the grid for the 15-lap Sprint race.

With only a single flying lap, the drivers will have to walk the tightrope between qualifying, and sliding off.