Silverstone qualifying 2: Sato, but only just
Takuma Sato took pole position for the second of today's two British Formula 3 Championship races at Silverstone in a wet qualifying session
The recently crowned champion took his Carlin Motorsport Dallara-Mugen Honda round the Northamptonshire track a mind-bogglingly close two-thousandths of a second clear of Gianmaria Bruni.
Sato spent much of the session six-tenths up on the opposition, but the Japanese failed to improve in the final few minutes, while a resurgent Bruni leapt up the grid right in the closing stages.
"I was hanging around because of yellow flags," said Sato, "and then I tried to push on the last lap. But the tyres were maybe past their best and I possibly overdrove."
Bruni, who spent the opening few minutes having wing adjustments made to his Fortec Dallara-Renault, found his tyres coming good just at the right time. "I'm very 'appy, but in a way disappointed to miss pole by so little," said the Italian.
Anthony Davidson in the second Carlin car is a long way adrift in third, feeling it pointless to make a huge effort to overcome the large deficit with little prospect of any gain. Ditto James Courtney in fourth, the Australian keeping it nice and tidy on the final lap to sneak up to fourth for Jaguar Racing.
Andy Priaulx and Derek Hayes form the third row, with Matt Davies next up from first race pole winner Andre Lotterer - for yesterday's Copse Corner hero there was little chance of taking the turn flat-out this time!
Rob Austin posted his best qualifying effort of the season to head the rather off-the-pace midfield bunch in ninth, with Philip Giebler again doing well on his series debut to round out the top 10.
In the dramatic Scholarship Class showdown, Matt Gilmore again looks good with a superb last lap effort to take pole by half a second from Michael Keohane and title rival Robbie Kerr.
Takuma Sato (Carlin Motorsport Dallara-Mugen) 1m27.858s
Gianmaria Bruni (Fortec Dallara-Renault) 1m27.860s
Anthony Davidson (Carlin Motorsport Dallara-Mugen) 1m28.254s
James Courtney (Jaguar Racing Dallara-Mugen) 1m28.295s
Andy Priaulx (Alan Docking Racing Dallara-Mugen) 1m28.377s
Derek Hayes (Manor Motorsport Dallara-Mugen) 1m28.477s
Matt Davies (Team Avanti Dallara-Opel) 1m28.510s
Andre Lotterer (Jaguar Racing Dallara-Mugen) 1m28.682s
Rob Austin (Menu Renaultsport Dallara-Renault) 1m29.310s
Philip Giebler (Duma Racing Dallara-Mugen) 1m29.386s
Matt Gilmore (Performance Racing Dallara-Opel)
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