Rockingham Days of Thunder qualifying results

Roland Rehfeld put the 'The Darkness' Team HTML Pontiac Days of Thunder car on pole position after a scintillating qualifying session for this afternoon's Days of Thunder 60-lap event at Rockingham.

It was the fastest-ever qualifying session for a Days of Thunder event, with 15 of the 20-car grid setting sub 36-second lap times. Britain's top rock band of the moment, The Darkness, live on stage later in the afternoon and represented in the Days of Thunder race with their own race car driven by Rehfeld, witnessed the German star set his time of 34.846 seconds late in the session.

Series leader Ben Collins and his Deuce Racing RML team-mate Anthony Swan topped the times in their Chevrolets for most of the 20-minute session but were unable to respond to the black and gold Pontiac.

"I think that the new paint scheme on the car must have helped me to be a couple of tenths quicker," Rehfeld said. "Team HTML have put a great car together for this event. I can't wait for the race to start."

Fourth fastest was leading privateer Colin White, followed by Mark Proctor and Andrew Kirkaldy in the Acorn Racing for Xcel Motorsport Pontiac. Early pace-setter this morning Rob Speak finished up in seventh, setting his best time within the last minute of the session. The former BriSCA F1 world champion was followed by his team-mate Michael Vergers in the Chicago Pneumatic Racing Pontiac. The Dutchman only got out on track in the final four minutes to set his time.

Another former BriSCA F1 world champion, Andy Smith, in the CWS Racing Chevrolet, and Shaun Richardson rounded out the top ten.

<pre> DAYS OF THUNDER ROUND 9 QUALIFYING 1 Roland Rehfeld Team HTML Pontiac 34.846s 2 Ben Collins Territorial Army Deuce Racing RML Chevrolet 34.908s 3 Anthony Swan LEGO Racers Deuce Racing RML Chevrolet 34.985s 4 Colin White CWS Chevrolet 35.208s 5 Mark Proctor Fast-Tec Pontiac 35.252s 6 Andrew Kirkaldy Acorn Racing with Xcel Motorsport Pontiac 35.256s 7 Rob Speak Team Learn Direct Chevrolet 35.256s 8 Michael Vergers Chicago Pneumatic Racing Ford 35.324s 9 Andy Smith CWS Chevrolet 35.542s 10 Shaun Richardson Kidd-Richardson Racing Chevrolet 35.567s 11 Ian McKellar Jr dsi AnyDoc/Torquespeed Chevrolet 35.619s 12 John Steward Stewart Racing Ford 35.646s 13 John Mickel Torquespeed/dsi AnyDoc Chevrolet 35.739s 14 Derek Hayes MacDonalds Team HTML Pontiac 35.791s 15 Niklas Loven Havoline Racing Chevrolet 35.871s 16 Phil Weaver Team Catchpole Chevrolet 35.943s 17 Kevin Clarke Intersport Racing Pontiac 36.123s 18 Oliver Playle Reebok/Torquespeed Chevrolet 36.203s 19 Kieran Dynes Scott Racing Services/Eskalony Vodka 36.566s 20 Alejandro Lince Deuce Racing RML Chevrolet 36.693s

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