Aiden Moffat takes second career BTCC pole in Qualifying Race

The LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing driver gave them a helping hand in their British Touring Car Championship Independents’ quest at Brands Hatch GP.

A late lap from Moffat in Group 2 saw him take pole position for the Race to Pole, with Group 1 leader Josh Cook joining him on the front row. Mikey Doble followed, with a great session for Power Maxed reinforced by Gordon Shedden struggling to set a representative lap.

And Moffat held that lead through the first venture down Paddock Hill as the lights went out for the Race to Pole. But, a blistering Ricky Collard start saw him climb to P2 as Josh Cook locked up at Druids and fell to P4.

Tom Ingram would also climb, up two to P3 as Doble fell to P6 with yet-another slow getaway, before jumping past Collard at Clearways.

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The second round of the GP loop saw Dan Rowbottom climb to P7, hustling his way past Daryl De Leon with a firm move that completed on the exit of Sheene. On the start of the next lap, a mistake from Collard at Paddock hill saw him slide into the gravel and drop to P6 as Doble recovered one.

Another man struggling from the off was Adam Morgan, who had fallen into the back-pack wars by the fourth tour and scrapped with Sam Osborne for P18.

Lap 5 saw Doble start a battle with Ash Sutton for P4, with the likely Independents’ Trophy victor looking to use his boost advantage to pass the Drivers’ Champion. Yet, Sutton would hold him off with strong defence through Hawthorns, before faltering at the same place the next lap as Collard joined the fight.

It continued to rumble on the next lap, with Collard nearly sent wide by Sutton and getting by, before Sutton took the place back through Westfield. However, the five-time Drivers’ Champion would see himself handed a five-second penalty on lap eight for track limits.

But, at the front, things were far more peaceful. Moffat had a narrow advantage over Ingram, but one that seemed comfortable. Cook also followed, right on the tail of Ingram.

Moffat would hold his lead to the flag to win by less than a second, despite receiving a final warning for track limits, as Ingram and Cook followed to complete the top three.

Doble and Collard followed, with De Leon, Rowbottom, Árón Taylor-Smith, Dexter Patterson, and Dan Cammish rounding the top 10. Sutton, Charles Rainford, Lewis Selby, Chris Smiley, and Gordon Shedden would be the ones to take home the final points on offer.

The result is significant for PMR and Moffat, with it giving all the confidence the squad need to secure the Independent Teams’ crown on Sunday, and benefitting Moffat in his outside-shot at the Independents’ Trophy.

The stewards awarded Selby a three-place penalty post-race for contact with Tom Chilton, seeing Selby demoted to P16 and Chilton into the points.

View the BTCC Brands Hatch Race to Pole results here!

READ MORE: Daryl De Leon goes fastest at Brands Hatch in BTCC Free Practice