LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing's Mikey Doble took his first Qualifying Race victory in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship at Silverstone.
Doble started from pole position after a superb lap in the earlier qualifying session, but a rapid getaway from Daryl De Leon put the WSR BMW ahead as the young pair led the field into Copse for the first time.
Championship leader Ash Sutton had only qualified a frustrating 17th, and his weekend worsened when the four-time champion spun his NAPA Racing UK Ford Focus on the opening lap of the Qualifying Race.
With Sutton and title rivals Dan Cammish (NAPA Racing UK) and Tom Ingram (Team VERTU) all buried in the pack, the race opened the door for a different group of drivers to fight at the front.
De Leon's advantage didn't last long, however, as Doble blasted his Audi A3 Saloon by down the back straight on lap three, whilst teammate Aiden Moffat also closed in on the now second placed BMW.
Dexter Patterson came out on top of an eye-catching battle with Sam Osborne at the lower end of the top ten on lap six, before a safety car intervention followed just two laps later.
The interruption came after debutant Osamu Kawashima beached his Team VERTU Hyundai in the gravel, as the Japanese driver continued adapting to BTCC machinery and the demands of Britain's most competitive motorsport championship.
The top three remained consistent for much of the contest until De Leon faded with three laps to go, allowing Moffat to slip through into second while Team VERTU's Tom Chilton grabbed third.
Doble took the chequered flag to secure his maiden Qualifying Race win, leading teammate Moffat home for an impressive LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing one-two.
De Leon ended up fourth behind Chilton, whilst Daniel Lloyd (Restart Racing) and Josh Cook (Speedworks Corolla Racing) rounded out the top six finishers.
Charles Rainford (WSR) and Adam Morgan (CPRL) were next in the order with the Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport Toyota duo of Aron Taylor-Smith and Gordon Shedden completing the top ten.
Sutton could only recover to finish 15th but still takes his commanding 115-point advantage over teammate Cammish into tomorrow's penultimate race day of the season, while reigning champion Ingram sits a further eight points adrift.
With six races of the season remaining, Sutton's pursuit of a record-breaking fifth Drivers' title could well be decided at Silverstone's Super Sunday, with the action getting underway from 1030 on ITV4.
Mikey Doble, LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing, said:
Aiden Moffat, LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing, said:
Tom Chilton, Team VERTU, said:
Silverstone - Qualifying Race - Result:
| P/ | No/ | Name/ | Entry/ | Laps/ | Time/ | Gap/ | Best/ | On/ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 88 | Mikey DOBLE | LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing | 18 | 18:34.808 | 56.808 | 6 | |
| 2 | 16 | Aiden MOFFAT | LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing | 18 | 18:37.334 | 2.526 | 56.926 | 3 |
| 3 | 3 | Tom CHILTON | Team VERTU | 18 | 18:37.857 | 3.049 | 57.112 | 5 |
| 4 | 2 | Daryl DE LEON | WSR | 18 | 18:39.245 | 4.437 | 56.873 | 6 |
| 5 | 123 | Daniel LLOYD | Restart Racing | 18 | 18:39.896 | 5.088 | 57.179 | 3 |
| 6 | 66 | Josh COOK | Speedworks Corolla Racing | 18 | 18:40.457 | 5.649 | 57.483 | 5 |
| 7 | 99 | Charles RAINFORD | WSR | 18 | 18:42.623 | 7.815 | 57.126 | 4 |
| 8 | 33 | Adam MORGAN | CPRL | 18 | 18:42.793 | 7.985 | 57.212 | 4 |
| 9 | 50 | Árón TAYLOR-SMITH | Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport | 18 | 18:43.466 | 8.658 | 57.469 | 5 |
| 10 | 52 | Gordon SHEDDEN | Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport | 18 | 18:43.812 | 9.004 | 57.252 | 4 |
| 11 | 17 | Dexter PATTERSON | Steel Seal with Power Maxed Racing | 18 | 18:44.111 | 9.303 | 57.247 | 4 |
| 12 | 80 | Tom INGRAM | Team VERTU | 18 | 18:44.937 | 10.129 | 57.578 | 5 |
| 13 | 15 | Lewis SELBY | NAPA Racing UK | 18 | 18:45.524 | 10.716 | 57.623 | 5 |
| 14 | 116 | Ashley SUTTON | NAPA Racing UK | 18 | 18:46.435 | 11.627 | 57.743 | 3 |
| 15 | 27 | Dan CAMMISH | NAPA Racing UK | 18 | 18:46.787 | 11.979 | 57.433 | 5 |
| 16 | 7 | Ryan BENSLEY | Speedworks Corolla Racing | 18 | 18:47.246 | 12.438 | 57.512 | 5 |
| 17 | 32 | Daniel ROWBOTTOM | CPRL | 18 | 18:49.425 | 14.617 | 57.503 | 4 |
| 18 | 29 | Lewis GILBERT | WSR | 18 | 18:54.690 | 19.882 | 57.627 | 7 |
| 19 | 55 | Nick HALSTEAD | Steel Seal with Power Maxed Racing | 18 | 18:57.522 | 22.714 | 57.567 | 4 |
| 20 | 28 | Nicolas HAMILTON | Team VERTU | 18 | 18:58.191 | 23.383 | 57.859 | 5 |
| 21 | 77 | Sam OSBORNE | NAPA Racing UK | 18 | 19:00.332 | 25.524 | 57.413 | 4 |
| 22 | 22 | Chris SMILEY | Restart Racing | 17 | 18:49.374 | 1 Lap | 57.270 | 5 |
| DNF | 81 | Osamu KAWASHIMA | Team VERTU | 6 | 6:15.278 | 12 Laps | 59.715 | 6 |
Penalties:
Josh Cook received a written reprimand in the Qualifying Race at Silverstone, for an incident involving Árón Taylor-Smith – click here for report.
