Hill, driving his West Surrey Racing BMW 330e M Sport, ended up on reverse sides of the Norfolk circuit to reigning champion Sutton’s Alliance Racing-run NAPA Racing Ford Focus ST.
5 of the six drivers to make it into the pole shootout opted for slick Goodyear tyres when the solar all of the sudden broke out, and Hill and Sutton regularly traded quickest instances.
However because of the ritual amongst front-wheel-drive groups of tyre-crossing within the pits after their out-laps, Sutton caught the chequered flag on his ultimate flying lap whereas Hill had sneaked onto an additional tour.
Sutton, because the championship chief, had entry to only one second per lap of hybrid enhance, and it seemed as if the ordinary BTCC miracle employee might need executed it once more.
Positive sufficient, the Laser Instruments BMW – on seven seconds of hybrid – was down on Sutton’s provisional pole lap within the first sector, however obliterated the Ford’s second and third sectors to nail pole place by the massive margin of 0.805 seconds.
Bobby Thompson, Staff BMW
Photograph by: JEP / Motorsport Images
Thompson, restricted to 9s of hybrid on his season debut, was the one driver to exit on wet-weather tyres, however rapidly realised the error of his methods.
He pitted on the finish of his out-lap for slicks, however missed out on the observe time on slicks and was successfully the perfect a part of two laps behind team-mates Hill and Morgan in bringing in his rubber.
“The lap earlier than, I used to be informed I used to be combating Josh,” stated Hill of his pole.
“I assumed, ‘You understand what? Let’s simply throw the world at it and see what occurs.’ I used to be both going to shunt and be P6, or be on pole.
“I’m so blissful – what an ideal method to bounce again from Manufacturers.”