WestCoast Racing’s Andreas Bäckman claimed his maiden pole position in qualifying for the TCR UK series at Croft, beating Pyro Motorsport’s Ollie Taylor to the top time on a drying track.
Bäckman timed it right on his final run to enjoy the best possible conditions for his flying lap, ending up over half a second clear of Taylor in the newer-spec Civic, who had left it until late in the session himself to post a time.
The Swede’s result is even more impressive after he managed the time in an unfamiliar car on a changeable track surface, with his Honda being run by WestCoast Racing in conjunction with Sean Walkinshaw Racing this weekend.
Taylor took second in his Honda, having completed just one flying lap as he sought to both time his lap just right in the drying conditions and ensure a strong grid position for the second race, which sees the top ten second-best times reversed.
In the end that single run gave the title contender a front-row start for both races, as he secured pole position for race two by virtue of his out lap counting as the slowest second-fastest lap in the eight-car field.
Maximum Motorsport’s Stewart Lines was third fastest, marking his best qualifying result of the season, ahead of championship leader Dan Lloyd in fourth.
However, WestCoast Racing’s Lloyd will have to start race one from the back of the grid due to a lingering five-place grid penalty carried over from the previous event at Oulton Park.
Jessica Bäckman was fifth fastest in her WestCoast Racing Volkswagen Golf, just half a tenth slower than Lloyd, ahead of Verizon Connect Racing’s Finlay Crocker in sixth.
Lewis Kent failed to improve on slick tyres late in the session and could only manage seventh, over three seconds off the pace, whilst DW Racing’s Darelle Wilson completed the top ten in his repaired Vauxhall Astra TCR, which had earlier missed the final practice session whilst repairs were carried out to his front bumper area.
Alongside Taylor on the reversed race two grid will be Wilson, whilst Lloyd faces the prospect of starting both races from the back row of the grid after putting in the second-fastest second-best lap time.
Race one gets underway at 12:25 BST on Sunday.
Qualifying result
| POS | NO | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 19 | Andreas BÄCKMAN |  |
WestCoast Racing | Honda Civic Type-R FK2 TCR | 16 | 1:30.074 | 0.000 |
| 2 | 32 | Oliver TAYLOR |  |
Pyro Motorsport | Honda Civic Type-R FK8 TCR | 6 | 1:30.659 | 0.585 |
| 3 | 95 | Stewart LINES | |
Maximum Motorsport | CUPRA TCR V3 DSG | 15 | 1:31.152 | 1.078 |
| 4 | 23 | Dan LLOYD | |
WestCoast Racing | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 7 | 1:31.206 | 1.132 |
| 5 | 26 | Jessica BÄCKMAN | |
WestCoast Racing | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 15 | 1:31.268 | 1.194 |
| 6 | 8 | Finlay CROCKER | |
Verizon Connect Racing | Honda Civic Type-R FK8 TCR | 14 | 1:31.311 | 1.237 |
| 7 | 38 | Lewis KENT | |
Essex & Kent Motorsport | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 9 | 1:33.126 | 3.052 |
| 8 | 50 | Darelle WILSON | |
DW Racing | Vauxhall Astra TCR | 14 | 1:34.138 | 4.064 |