British GT – Knockhill – Qualifying Report
Changeable
The weather really rather spoiled what had promised to be a closely fought qualifying session - as bright and breezy turned to blustery and showery no fewer than three times during the half hour timed period.

It was a debut qualifying session this season for both the Jaguar and the #27 CDL TVR, both cars foiled by mechanical woes at the first round and CDL by Steve Hyde’s accident in testing at Snetterton.

It was Piers Johnson who was first to top the timing sheets in the #69 Eclipse TVR T400R but Shaun Balfe is looking for a race winning hat trick this weekend in the #33 Balfe Motorsport Mosler and pushed very, very hard to grab provisional pole with a lap of 50.843 - just as the first rains fell, eight tenths up on Johnson. A red flag then stopped the session at the midway point when the little Lotus Elise chugged to a halt in a dangerous position (electrical woes).

When the session restarted the showers had eased and the front runners attacked again: this time it was Tom Herridge’s turn to improve, up to second place, edging out Johnson by a mere hundredth of a second just moments before the skies opened again.

Steve Hyde was pushing hard too but the interrupted session left him only able to complete an all TVR second row in fourth. The third T400R, the #23 RSS car of Graeme Mundy, and the spectacular #50 Xero Corvette C5 of Peter Le Bas, made up the third row, Le Bas trying VERY hard indeed, the ‘Vette getting fully airborne at Duffus on almost every lap before finally the Irishman pushed a little too hard and the car spun harmlessly down the road.

Piers Johnson was disappointed: “There was easily enough left in the car to match the pole time, but it will be an excellent race (races).”

Tom Herridge was fairly content with second on the grid: “I’m getting to understand the car more and more every time I get into it. I thought the TVRs would be much harder to beat today but the race is a completely different kettle of fish, it will be very close and if it rains it will be even closer.”

Polesitter Shaun Balfe was very happy: “The car was steady as a rock. I knew we could be competitive today but in truth that was a bit easier than I thought it was going to be. The showers probably took the edge off the battle.”

In the Cup class it was a maiden pole position for anything other than the #76 Porsche. In the event it was the #42 Ferrari 360 with Hector Lester that prevailed, but only after a terrific battle between two thers - Neil Cunningham in the #66 Morgan and the #76 GruppeM Tech 9 Porsche.

Cunningham was another driver trying very hard indeed, interchanging very quick laps with an exploration of the Morgan’s limits of adhesion. He seemed to have won the topsy turvy battle with the Porsche but the 360 grabbed it, again just before the heavens opened. Pole battle over.

Hector Lester was understandably pleased: “I’ve never raced here before but we knew this car would go well. Its about time someone shook up the Porsches.”

Neil Cunningham was as expansive as usual: “We were having a great battle with the Porsche and I thought I’d got them but the (expletive deleted) Ferrari nicked it at the end.”

So a 17 car grid on a tight and tricky circuit in unpredictable weather. Will the Mosler / Porsche domination of the first two rounds be broken? We’ll find out tomorrow with the first of two 40 minute races starting at 12:20.
GG