Photo: PSP Images

Ollie Taylor surprised by maiden TCR UK pole

Ollie Taylor admitted he was surprised to beat dominant championship leader Dan Lloyd to pole for the fourth meeting of the TCR UK Championship season at Castle Combe.

Lloyd looked set to snare pole for the fourth successive meeting having posted a time seven tenths of a second quicker than anyone else during the session, but hadn’t banked on a storming late lap from Taylor that saw him go just 0.003s quicker.

It was a lap that saw Taylor post personal bests in the first and second sectors of the lap, something he had been unable to do on a single lap earlier in the session, and ensured the Pyro Motorsport driver becomes only the second pole sitter in the series’ short history.

“I didn’t actually think that was possible,” he admitted. “Not to accept defeat – but I thought I’d given it all I had to give really. But looking at the sector analysis my fastest lap had none of my quickest sectors hooked up in it, so I just told myself to calm down and relax, go out and do a good warm-up on the tyres, get them warmed up nice and evenly and hook it up and deliver.

“I think I was overdriving to start off with, so I really concentrated on corner exits, getting good exits. I didn’t even think that was going to get pole! I was coming around the lap thinking ‘This is good I’m slowly gaining a bit of time’ halfway around the lap I was three tenths up and I thought at least I’ve made an effort of taking some time out of him [Dan Lloyd].

“Coming out of the last chicane I was five tenths up and I’m thinking I’m only six tenths down – get this around the last corner! And that was the best I’ve come round that last corner so far this weekend, crossed the line and was over the moon.”

Taylor will start the second race of the weekend from ninth on the grid.