WIX Racing's Adam Morgan moved to the top of the timesheets in Free Practice Two at Snetterton as the Mercedes A-Class driver fell shy of the qualifying lap record by only a tenth of a second.
FP1 pace-setter Colin Turkington also led the way in the second session for much of the 40-minutes of running, before a late flurry of qualifying simulations brought about a change to the order.
Light spots of rain fell as the action got underway, leading to Ashley Sutton running a few laps on the Dunlop BluResponse wet tyres. In truth, the circuit was dry and all runners were on slicks within five minutes and Jack Goff was the first driver to set a representative lap time.
The pace quickened as the circuit conditions improved but it wasn't until the final ten minutes where significant inroads were made.
Morgan set the pace and couldn't be caught, with MG Racing RCIB Insurance's Sutton slotting into second. Aron Smith backed up his FP1 showing with another sterling effort in the final session. The VW CC claimed two wins in the hands of Turkington at Snetterton last season, with the characteristics of the 300 layout clearly suiting the German machine, so Smith will be hoping that such form can continue this weekend.
Tom Ingram pipped Turkington by 0.001s to claim fourth, whilst championship leader Sam Tordoff completed the top six order.
Aiden Moffat proved the pace of the Mercedes A-Class with seventh, whilst Power Maxed Racing's Hunter Abbott impressed with eighth.
Reigning champion Gordon Shedden would rarely celebrate ninth place in any session but the Scotsman bounced back from a difficult morning. His FP1 running was blighted by problems before his Halfords Yuasa Racing squad produced heroics with an engine change ahead of the afternoon run. His Honda Civic Type R eventually exited the pit lane with the #52 completing seven laps before the finish.
Motorbase Performance's Andrew Jordan got the better of team-mate Mat Jackson to claim tenth.
Matt Simpson's Honda stopped out on track early on while Jason Plato and Josh Cook endured a difficult session - both languishing outside the top 20 when the chequered flag fell.
There was little doubting the overall pace-setter, however, as Morgan sent out a warning ahead of qualifying. "We're in good shape, but we'll see what happens this afternoon," he said. "I've wanted to win this championship for a number of years and that remains the target for this season."
2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Free Practice 2 – Snetterton:
1 Adam MORGAN (GBR) WIX Racing +1m56.139s
2 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +0.232s
3 Aron SMITH (IRL) BKR +0.384s
4 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +0.578s
5 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +0.579s
6 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +0.591s
7 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +0.779s
8 Hunter ABBOTT (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +0.797s
9 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.921s
10 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) Motorbase Performance +0.949s
11 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Motorbase Performance +1.020s
12 Robert COLLARD (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +1.190s
13 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +1.288s
14 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +1.293s
15 James COLE (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +1.341s
16 Michael EPPS (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +1.564s
17 Warren SCOTT (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +1.570s
18 Jake HILL (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +1.617s
19 Jack GOFF (GBR) Team IHG Rewards Club +1.620s
20 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +1.737s
21 Jason PLATO (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +1.761s
22 Michael CAINE (GBR) TLC/RCIB Insurance Racing +1.797s
23 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +1.855s
24 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmD Tuning.com+1.867s
25 Josh COOK (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +1.924s
26 Alex MARTIN (GBR) Dextra Racing +1.961s
27 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Eurotech Racing +2.238s
28 Kelvin FLETCHER (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +2.254s
29 Mark HOWARD (GBR) BKR +3.688s
30 Stewart LINES (GBR) Maximum Motorsport +4.036s
