Reigning Champion Ash Sutton took pole for the first race of the 2021 season in damp conditions ahead of the BTC Racing Honda of Josh Cook.
Tom Ingram had taken the early initiative with a 1:21.037 with Cook just half-a-tenth behind.
However, less than ten minutes into the session, the rain appeared to increase, but despite that Ingram and team mate Chris Smiley improved their times before double-champion Sutton went to the top of the timesheets.
Cook then usurped former MG team mate Sutton, before the Infiniti driver went back onto provisional pole with a 1:20.169.
MB Motorsport’s Jake Hill went to the top with seven minutes remaining before Tom Oliphant and then Rory Butcher took over at the top.
Butcher’s 1:18.835 appeared to be enough to give the Toyota driver the first pole of 2021 and after Jade Edwards spun at the final chicane, bringing out the yellow flags, that looked to be confirmed.
However, Edwards was able to recover the Civic and Sutton, Cook, Colin Turkington and Ingram were able to find lap time to beat Butcher.
Oliphant finished the session in sixth and Hill, after being blocked ignominiously by Jason Plato, eventually finished seventh.
Championship returnee Gordon Shedden qualified eighth with Ollie Jackson in ninth and Smiley 10th.
Qualifying Results
- Ash Sutton 1:18.305
- Josh Cook +0.053s
- Colin Turkington +0.362s
- Tom Ingram +0.413s
- Rory Butcher +0.530s
- Tom Oliphant +0.586s
- Jake Hill +0.604s
- Gordon Shedden +0.810s
- Ollie Jackson +1.641s
- Chris Smiley +1.740s
- Jason Plato +1.973s
- Dan Cammish +2.088s
- Carl Boardley +2.408s
- Adam Morgan +2.458s
- Jack Goff +2.630s
- Dan Rowbottom +2.677s
- Jade Edwards +2.969s
- Stephen Jelley +3.171s
- Aron Taylor-Smith +3.172s
- Tom Chilton +3.310s
- Aiden Moffat +3.547s
- Dan Lloyd +4.065s
- Sam Osbourne +4.350s
- Andy Neate +4.574s
- Rick Parfitt Jr. +5.460s
- Sam Smelt +5.547s
- Glynn Geddie +6.152s
- Jack Butel +6.826s
- Nic Hamilton +6.882s
