Jeff Smith delighted with “dream” pole at Brands Hatch

A delighted Jeff Smith said he always had faith in himself to take a pole position, after heading the first British Touring Car Championship qualifying session of the season at a wet Brands Hatch.

Smith timed his best lap to perfection with around half of the session completed, setting his time of 48.367 just seconds before the red flags flew when Team BMR’s Ash Sutton went off at Paddock Hill Bend.

The heavens then opened while Sutton’s Subaru Levorg was being cleared away, meaning Smith could safely celebrate his pole with around eight minutes of running left on the clock.

“It’s always in my dreams – I don’t think anyone down the pitlane doesn’t believe they could get on pole, and I don’t see myself as different to anybody else,” said Smith to TouringCarTimes.

“We’ve got a mega package – the guys at Eurotech have done a massive amount of work over the winter and it’s really paid off.

“There’s still some more in the car, and it’s quite difficult finding space around here, but I put in a fast lap at the right time, just before the red flag.”

There was extra cause for celebration for team owner Smith, who saw his new team-mate Jack Goff qualify the second Honda Civic Type-R in seventh in his first qualifying session for the team.