Tom Chilton: “Pole position has been a long time coming”

Tom Chilton was left over the moon after claiming his first pole position since 2011 in the British Touring Car Championship. 

The EXCELR8 Motorsport driver had topped the times in second practice at Donington Park and then upped the ante in qualifying as he splashed his way to top spot. 

Battling tricky and ever-worsening conditions, the Hyundai driver was wheel-perfect around the Grand Prix layout as he led a 1-2 finish for the team, with championship leader Tom Ingram finishing second. 

“It’s been a long time coming,” said Chilton. “I’ve not had a pole since 2011 in the BTCC – although I’ve had a few in World Touring Cars – so it feels good to be back at the front in qualifying.

“Conditions were tricky out there and I was sliding all over the place. I was feeling the tyre come in and looking for the grip. It may be the thousands of years of experience I have that I was able to draw on my knowledge and hook it all up. 

“EXCELR8 have delivered me a fantastic car and I’m really looking forward to seeing what we can do tomorrow. I always go well at Donington Park so I can’t wait to see what we can go and achieve.”