British Touring Car Championship driver Jake Hill bounced back from a disappointing season-opener at Donington Park to secure pole position at the second meeting of the season at Brands Hatch, a circuit close to his home.
The Touring Car Times reports that Hill, driving for the BMW squad, topped the qualifying session to lead his stablemate Charles Rainford and secure a front-row lockout for his team. The removal of the hybrid units, which has resulted in a 55kg reduction in car weight, had left Hill struggling to find his pace at the season-opener.
However, Hill showed significant improvement across the two practice sessions on Saturday, ultimately smashing the existing lap record by over a second to claim top spot at the Kentish circuit. “Overall I’m very happy,” Hill said, as quoted in a report by the Touring Car Times. “When I woke up this morning I didn’t think we’d be on pole position but if we could make it into the top-six then that would be a great result. We’re in a brilliant position but we’ve got to make it count and do the job tomorrow.”
Hill attributed his success to the hard work of his team, who have been working tirelessly since the Donington Park meeting to improve the car’s performance. “I’ve got to say a huge thank you to the team because they’ve worked tirelessly since Donington Park to give us a car that is capable of being one the front row,” he said. Despite his impressive performance, Hill acknowledged that there is still room for improvement, citing the pace of rival driver Tom Ingram. “While we’ve made a step in the right direction we can’t hide the fact that Tom [Ingram] has been able to do pretty much the same time with little to no boost, so we need to keep pushing,” he added.
According to Touring Car Times, Hill also credited the circuit’s new tarmac in the final sector with providing his car with exceptional traction, allowing him to maximise his performance. “I do think that with it being Brands Hatch and the last sector having had new tarmac laid, which gives us incredible traction, we’ve been able to maximise everything today,” he said.
The Touring Car Times understands that the BMW squad will be looking to build on Hill’s pole position in the races on Sunday. With a strong car and a favourable grid position, Hill will be hoping to convert his pole position into a strong haul of points and mount a challenge for the championship. As reported by the Touring Car Times, Hill’s team will be working to ensure that they can capitalise on their qualifying performance and achieve a successful weekend at Brands Hatch.
The second meeting of the British Touring Car Championship season continues on Sunday, with racing set to get underway at 10:00 BST. The Touring Car Times will provide live updates and results from the event, and can be found at https://www.touringcartimes.com/. Further information on the championship, including the latest news, standings, and results, can be found on the official British Touring Car Championship website.
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