Dave Newhsam was fastest in a drying first British Touring Car Championship free practice session at Brands Hatch, with team-mate Ollie Jackson second fastest as both Speedworks Toyota’s finished the session on top.
Click here for the full first practice times.
With early morning rain leaving the track damp at the start of the session, times continued to tumble throughout the 40-minute session as the sun dried the track. Thus Newsham and Jackson posted their fastest times on their final lap in the dying seconds of the session.
“I’m not getting carried away with that,” admitted Newsham to TouringCars.Net. “The track was still very damp in places and I’m struggling to even give feedback to the team because there wasn’t really a proper dry corner anywhere. I think we just got the best out of the track at the time – we were one of the last on slicks to come across the line.”
Third fastest, albeit 1.753 seconds off the pace, was MG’s Sam Tordoff, who had moments earlier posted the fastest time. He was followed by Árón Smith, who had been floating around the top of the timesheets throughout practice.
Tom Onslow-Cole was fifth fastest, ahead of an impressive performance from Jake Hill in sixth. For Hill, it is his first weekend at the wheel of NGTC machinery as he takes over the second Rob Austin Racing Audi A4 previously raced by Will Bratt. Hill had been consistently inside the top five throughout the session, before being knocked out in the closing seconds.
Mat Jackson was seventh fastest, ensuring all of the Airwaves Racing Ford’swere inside the top ten. The two works Honda’s of Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden were eighth and ninth, having also enjoyed a spell at the top of the times with eight minutes remaining.
Ciceley Racing’s Adam Morgan completed the top ten, 3.932 seconds off the pace.
Championship leader Andrew Jordan finished the session in 14th, despite being the fastest driver throughout the opening period of first practice.
The second MG of Jason Plato finished 24th after electing not to return to the track for the second half of first practice due to the changing conditions.
There was one brief red flag period, which was caused when Dynojet’s Frank Wrathall went off at Clearways.
Second practice takes place at 12:25 BST.