ROKiT MB Motorsport’s Jake Hill claimed a memorable maiden pole position during qualifying for the opening round of the 2022 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship at the Donington Park circuit.The BRDC SuperStar confirmed his spot at the head of the field with a 1:08.418, launching his WSR-run BMW 330e M Sport just 0.018s clear of stablemate Colin Turkington, to secure a BMW front-row lockout and claim the first pole position of the BTCC’s new hybrid era.
A mixed morning preceded the all-important qualifying session for ROKiT MB Motorsport. Jake enjoyed a productive opening free practice session - posting the sixth fastest time (1:09.315) from a total of 21 laps completed - but limited running in the second free practice session placed him fifteenth in the standings.
As qualifying rolled around, the scene was set for another rollercoaster affair. Jake’s initial charge was brought to an abrupt halt due to the red flag stoppage caused by a large fire for Dan Cammish but a flurry of fast laps soon followed upon the restart.
The session soon became a head-to-head shootout between Jake and Turkington, with Jake lapping quickly and consistently to record his and the team’s first-ever pole position.
“I’m over the moon,” Jake said. “I’ve got to thank Craig and WSR for giving me a fantastic car to drive. From FP1 it just felt amazing and we’ve done the job. It’s my first pole and my first weekend with WSR and a first-ever pole for ROKiT MB Motorsport - so it has been a fantastic afternoon. Hopefully we’ll just have a successful day tomorrow no matter what happens!”
“The whole team should be incredibly proud of their performance today,” added Mark Blundell, Sporting Director of ROKiT MB Motorsport. “Jake did an excellent job out on track and was just as quick as we all knew he would be. A big well done to all of the mechanics who worked hard to make sure his car was ready for the session. This is a big moment for Jake and the team as it marks our maiden pole position. I’m confident we can carry this momentum forward into race day tomorrow and have even more reason to celebrate.”
Jake will lead the field away for the opening round of the 2022 championship tomorrow, which viewers can watch unfold live on ITV4 from 10:50 or follow along with live timing from TSL-timing.com.
