Colin Turkington left it late to set the fastest time during second practice for the opening British Touring Car Championship round of the season at Brands Hatch, ahead of West Surrey Racing’s Andy Priaulx and Aron Smith.
Anonymous for much of the session, the reigning champion gradually improved his time throughout the 40-minute practice and set the fastest time in the last minute, to snatch top spot away from his teammate Smith before Priaulx split the Volkswagen CCs.
Starting slightly later than planned, the opening laps of the session were no more than exploratory ones, with rain in the intervening hours between both practice sessions meaning some drivers went out on slicks while others opted to go with wets. Jack Goff posted the first lap time of the session, although his 54.378s was more than three seconds slower than Tom Ingram’s pace-setting first practice effort.
Ingram and Rob Austin were the first to lower lap times thereafter, as the pair traded times at the top of the timing screens with much of the field continuing to bed in their cars in the early stages.
With Austin subsequently pitting his Audi A4, Gordon Shedden took up his mantle in swapping times with Ingram, as they lowered the benchmark into the low 50s before Sam Tordoff popped into top spot with a 49.537s.
The West Surrey Racing driver remained at the top of the times for around ten minutes, before times once again took a tumble as the session drew to a close. Matt Neal, Dave Newsham and Hunter Abbott all improved into the top ten, before Adam Morgan went fastest on a 49.153s.
After Tordoff reclaimed first place, his former teammate Jason Plato knocked him off top spot with a 49.072s before Smith went faster by half-a-tenth, with Turkington and Priaulx leaping up the order in the last minute to both usurp the Irishman.
Behind the top three, Plato held onto fourth to confirm BMR’s pace, with Tordoff fifth ahead of Morgan and Goff, who made quiet but promising progress up the order. Early pacesetter Shedden ended up in eighth, just ahead of Austin and Neal.
Andy Wilmot emerged in second practice after sitting out the opening session, but Josh Cook did not set a time in his Power Maxed Racing Chevrolet Cruze.
Qualifying for round one of the season takes place at 15:40.
Top ten times
| POS | NO | CL | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 1 | Colin TURKINGTON |  |
Team BMR | Volkswagen CC | 26 | 48.940 | 0.000 | |
| 2 | 111 | C | Andy PRIAULX | |
Team IHG Rewards Club | BMW 125i M Sport | 33 | 49.006 | 0.066 |
| 3 | 40 | Árón SMITH |  |
Team BMR | Volkswagen CC | 29 | 49.020 | 0.080 | |
| 4 | 99 | Jason PLATO | |
Team BMR | Volkswagen CC | 28 | 49.072 | 0.132 | |
| 5 | 7 | C | Sam TORDOFF | |
Team JCT600 with GardX | BMW 125i M Sport | 33 | 49.138 | 0.198 |
| 6 | 33 | Adam MORGAN | |
WIX Racing | Mercedes Benz A-Class | 33 | 49.153 | 0.213 | |
| 7 | 31 | M | Jack GOFF | |
MG 888 Racing | MG 6GT | 20 | 49.154 | 0.214 |
| 8 | 52 | M | Gordon SHEDDEN | |
Honda Yuasa Racing | Honda Civic Type R | 33 | 49.215 | 0.275 |
| 9 | 101 | Rob AUSTIN | |
Exocet AlcoSense | Audi A4 | 35 | 49.230 | 0.290 | |
| 10 | 25 | M | Matt NEAL | |
Honda Yuasa Racing | Honda Civic Type R | 30 | 49.245 | 0.305 |