Matt Neal will start tomorrow’s first race of the day in the season finalé of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship from pole position after a frantic qualifying session which could prove vital for the outcome of the championship.

Matt Neal left it late but with four minutes left in the 30-minute session, Matt came up with the goods to put his ballast-laden Honda Racing Honda Civic on pole position with a time of 59.131 which was good enough to beat his nearest rival by 0.035 seconds and with it take a vital bonus point which sees his lead at the top extended to six points.

“It wasn’t looking pretty but I’m just relieved to have completed step one of the weekend,” said Neal after qualifying. “The car has been hooked up today. It’s a team effort and it has been all season. I can’t believe it.”

The times were tumbling throughout the session and both Mat Jackson and Gordon Shedden held provisional pole at some stage during the 30-minutes but it’s Mat Jackson that will start on the front-row of the grid. Jackson, in his Airwaves Racing Ford Focus was a mere 0.035 seconds shy of the pole sitters time and just 0.134 seconds faster than Gordon Shedden.

“Those Honda’s are just too fast. I thought I had the edge over them at one point but it just wasn’t to be,” said Mat Jackson. Talking about his title chances, Mat went on to say “I don’t have anything to lose. I’ve got to go for the win.”

James Nash made it four out of the five title contenders on the front two rows of the grid when he qualified on 4th and with it gives his independent title challenge a major boost in which he leads Mat Jackson by just 18 points with three races to go.

Alex MacDowall out-qualified his team-mate in the lighter Silverline Chevrolet Cruze and will start the first race of the day from 5th on the grid ahead of Tom Chilton.

Jason Plato, who lies joint second in the championship, could only manage a time good enough for 7th on the grid despite using a double tow from both Alex MacDowall and Paul O’Neill throughout the session.

Andy Neate will start from 8th ahead of the best of the Next Generation Touring Cars, Frank Wrathall and the SEAT of Boardman. Tom Onslow-Cole qualified 9th fastest but after he was adjudged to have set his fastest lap during the yellow flag period for Tony Hughes’ stricken car late on in the session, his time has been stripped. Onslow-Cole will now start tomorrows first race of the day from 11th.

Elsewhere, double BTCC champion, James Thompson, could only manage a time good enough for 15th in the third Airwaves Racing Ford Focus. He also had his fastest time taken away from him but his second fastest time meant that he will still start from 15th in his return.

For full classification of qualifying, click here.

Photo Credit: Mick O’Rourke

James Mappin is the editor-in-chief covering the British Touring Car Championship. You can contact him at james@btcccrazy.co.uk, on twitter @BTCCCrazy or on his personal twitter account @jamesmappin.