Pictured: David Sutton. Click to open hi-resolution version

NEWS RELEASE: 30 AUGUST 2014

SUTTON SNATCHES A LAST-GASP POLE AT BRANDS HATCH

SlideSports racer David Sutton, who qualified second at Brands Hatch last year, went one better this afternoon on the Kent Grand Prix circuit to claim pole position for the first of the weekend's Milltek Sport Volkswagen Racing Cup events.

Sutton left it late to get the job done - his Scirocco was the last car to take the chequered flag after 20 minutes of running, and he knocked Team HARD's Howard Fuller off top spot by 0.229s. David had led qualifiying for much of the session and pitted with five minutes left on the clock believing his work done for the day. "I thought that was it," said Sutton. "I thought I'd come in and save the tyres, but then I dropped to fifth so I went back out with the red mist coming down and pushed a little harder. Perfect - I'm over the moon." It is David's first qualifying top-spot in the VW Cup.

Fuller was disappointed to have been deprived of the pole but pleased with his performance in his brand new Team HARD Golf GTI, which was turning a wheel in anger for the first time. After skipping the Spa rounds, Jack Walker-Tully returned to the championship with a vengeance to hustle the Cook and Mason Scirocco to third fastest, ahead of championship title front-runners Joe Fulbrook and Stefan Di Resta, both of whom were slowed by having to run near-maximum success ballast.

Reigning champion Aaron Mason was hampered on two fronts - an ankle injury and a gearbox issue - which prevented him from improving on sixth, just ahead of his AWM/Warranty Direct running mate James Greenway.

James Walker led the way among the KPM Racing runners with eighth place despite gear selection issues, two spots ahead of Spa winner Lucas Orrock.

There were further woes for Stewart Lines, who blew an engine in testing and who could get no higher than 17th in his spare Maximum Motorsport Scirocco.

Provisional qualifying top 12, Brands Hatch 30 August 2014
1 David SUTTON Scirocco R 1m 39.681s
2 Howard FULLER Golf GTI 1m 39.910s
3 Jack WALKER-TULLY Scirocco R 1m 40.002s
4 Joe FULBROOK Golf GTI 1m 40.194s
5 Stefan DI RESTA Scirocco R 1m 40.207s
6 Aaron MASON Scirocco R 1m 40.266s
7 James GREENWAY Scirocco R 1m 40.544s
8 James WALKER Scirocco R 1m 40.580s
9 Josh CAYGILL Scirocco R 1m 40.696s
10 Lucas ORROCK Scirocco R 1m 40.957s
11 Tom BARLEY Golf GTI 1m 41.059s
12 Philip HOUSE Scirocco R 1m 41.195s etc

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