Tom Onslow-Cole was left a happy man after securing his first pole position in the HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship during qualifying at
Donington Park.
Although he started on pole once last season with Team RAC, the Donington performance marked the first time the 20-year-old had led the way in qualifying, with his previous pole having come thanks to the reverse grid rules.
Onslow-Cole was the man to beat throughout Saturday as he also set the pace in both free practice sessions at the wheel of the car that has been rebuilt by the Triple Eight team following his accident at
Brands Hatch during the season opener, and the former Clio Cup racer was understandably pleased with how the session had panned out – having needed just five laps to secure his place at the front of the grid ahead of
Jason Plato.
"I'm back in the rebuilt car I had a big smash in at Brands Hatch in March and it feels just like new," he said. "I've clicked with it straight away and of course I'm delighted with the result.
"It was a bit nerve-wracking at the end, I'd got the best out of my tyres so just had to hope nobody would go any quicker. Jason got very close, but I guess I did just enough in the end.
"To date I haven't made the best of my starts so I think tonight I will be asking uncle Fabrizio for some extra advice to make sure I make the most of my pole position!"
