MacDowall on pole

Date published : 07 Aug 2010 - 18:01:27

Alex MacDowall became the youngest driver to take a pole position in the British Touring Car Championship after topping the times at Snetterton.

The 19-year-old Chevrolet Cruze driver set a best time of one minute 19.332 seconds to edge out team-mate and title contender Jason Plato by less than a 10th of a second.

The result was also notable for the Silverline Chevrolet team as it marked the first time they had put a Cruze on the front row of the starting grid.

The liquid petroleum gas powered Fords of Tom Chilton and Tom Onslow-Cole had been tipped to dominate after setting the best times in a recent test at the Norfolk circuit, but they were edged out by the Chevys, with Chilton eventually claiming third spot.

Onslow-Cole endured a miserable session as his Focus failed a ride-height check and he was relegated to the back of the grid.

Mat Jackson was fourth in the first of the Airwaves BMWs with Gordon Shedden fifth in his Honda Civic.

Andrew Jackson was the top Vauxhall driver as he qualified his Pirtek Racing Vectra sixth.

But championship leader Matt Neal will only start seventh and, with only a slender eight-point lead over Plato, could be set to lose his place at the head of the drivers' standings.

Paul O'Neill, James Nash and Tom Boardman rounded out the top 10.