Ricciardo completes pole double

For the first time this weekend, the Australian Carlin driver had to fight for supremacy as team-mate Max Chilton came within fractions of usurping the Red Bull-backed racer from the top spot.

The pair ran together on the track, hit the top of the times on their first flying laps and consistently lapped significantly faster than any of their rivals.

Chilton got close on each of his efforts, but ultimately Ricciardo's fastest lap of the weekend, a 1m17.151s, was enough to see off Chilton by 0.045s.

"It was quicker than last time, but still not in the 1m16s," said Ricciardo. "There's quite a big gap to the others, me and Max are quite a way in front, but he's getting closer.

"I just need to make a good start and see what happens in the races. We've got a good chance tomorrow, I just have to race hard because I've got nothing to lose."

The Carlin duo enjoyed an astonishing six to seven tenths of a second advantage over the chasing pack, led by Fortec's Riki Christodoulou. The Snetterton winner lost a tenth compared with this morning, but still laid claim to the title of 'best of the rest'.

Double R's Marcus Ericssson again set the fourth fastest time, 0.044s behind Christodoulou and 0.083s clear of team-mate Daisuke Nakajima.

The Double R pair left it late to set their best times and both lapped slower than they have previously this weekend, but still did enough to bump Henry Arundel down to sixth.

The Carlin driver led the times for much of the session, after setting his best time of the weekend in the early stages, but slipped down the order as more fancied runners took to the track.

His 1m18.117s best was still good enough to top an incredibly tight group, covered by 0.039s, in the fight to round out the top six. Hitech's Walter Grubmuller went seventh fastest, 0.005s slower than Arundel. A disappointing Carlos Huertas (Double R) set eighth quickest time, 0.022s further back. While T-Sport's Adriano Buzaid ended up ninth, 0.007s adrift of Huertas.

Wayne Boyd (T-Sport) rounded out the top 10, 1.326s off the pace, while team-mate Gabriel Dias sealed a National Class qualifying double by setting a time good enough for 15th overall.

Pos  Driver              Team       Car  Time       Gap
 1.  Daniel Ricciardo    Carlin     D/V  1m17.151s
 2.  Max Chilton         Carlin     D/V  1m17.196s  + 0.045s
 3.  Riki Christodoulou  Fortec     D/M  1m17.852s  + 0.701s
 4.  Marcus Ericsson     Double R   D/M  1m17.895s  + 0.744s
 5.  Daisuke Nakajima    Double R   D/M  1m18.079s  + 0.928s
 6.  Henry Arundel       Carlin     D/V  1m18.117s  + 0.966s
 7.  Walter Grubmuller   Hitech     D/M  1m18.122s  + 0.971s
 8.  Carlos Huertas      Double R   D/M  1m18.144s  + 0.993s
 9.  Adriano Buzaid      T-Sport    D/V  1m18.151s  + 1.000s
10.  Wayne Boyd          T-Sport    D/V  1m18.477s  + 1.326s
11.  Philip Major        Carlin     D/V  1m18.607s  + 1.456s
12.  Victor Garcia       Fortec     D/M  1m18.757s  + 1.606s
13.  Hywel Lloyd         CF         D/H  1m19.042s  + 1.891s
14.  Jay Bridger         Litespeed  M/H  1m19.629s  + 2.478s
15.  Gabriel Dias        T-Sport    D/H  1m19.844s  + 2.693s
16.  Daniel McKenzie     Fortec     D/H  1m20.407s  + 3.256s
17.  Joe Ghanem          Carlin     D/H  1m20.538s  + 3.387s
18.  Victor Correa       Litespeed  S/H  1m21.747s  + 4.596s
19.  Maxim Snegirev      West-Tec   D/H  1m21.929s  + 4.778s
20.  Qinghua Ma          West-Tec   D/H  1m22.337s  + 5.186s