Bailey clinches pole at Donington

Julian Bailey left it until the very end of the allotted time, setting a time of 1:31.716 in the final minutes of the morning session.

'We like a bit of drama!' he said. 'I knew we could take pole, but it was a case of finding a clear lap.

I took the car out before he did, on old, cold tyres, and it was brilliant,' Andy Wallace added.

'I came back in and told him that if he didn't get pole he was an idiot.'

Second and third places on the grid went to two Chrysler Vipers - but instead of the Oreca cars it was the turn of the Chamberlain Motorsport Vipers, putting in their best qualifying performance of the season.

Amorim and Seiler will start from the front row, with Christian Vann and Christian Gläsel in third place.

All their times were set in the morning, as rising temperatures meant that very few teams improved in the afternoon.

'I'm happy with the car - it's fantastic,' Amorim said. 'I hope to win - I believe it is possible.'

As for Vann, he was delighted with his performance, saying, 'I'd hoped for fifth, so to be third is tremendous, especially at my home track!'

The Championship leaders, Beretta and Wendlinger, will start from fourth, while Bell and Belloc were sixth.

However, nobody can dismiss the threat they pose during the race.

'It's not good for the ego to start down the grid,' Bell admitted.

'But we know we're strong for the race - we know what we're doing.'

Beretta, at the wheel of the #1 Chrysler Viper Team Oreca, set the fastest time in the slower afternoon session.

FIA GT Qualifying - Donington