MB Motorsport’s Jake Hill was quickest in the opening British Touring Car Championship practice session at a sunny Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit.
The Tunbridge Wells racer bounced back from a torrid season opener at Donington Park last weekend to set the benchmark with a lap of 1:31.729 at his local track.
His FK2 Honda Civic Type R led Tom Chilton’s BTC Racing FK8 Honda Civic by over a tenth, while Rory Butcher picked up where he left off in Leicestershire to start a promising weekend in third for Motorbase at their home circuit.
Next was Excelr8 Motorsport’s Senna Proctor in the Hyundai i30 Fastback N in fourth position, less than half a tenth quicker than Dan Cammish who rounded out the top five runners.
Reigning champion Colin Turkington was next in his ballast-laden BMW 330i M Sport, ahead of Cammish’s team-mate Matt Neal in sixth and seventh positions respectively.
Josh Cook managed eighth position in the second of the BTC Racing Hondas, while 2018 runner-up Tom Ingram would place ninth in his Toyota Gazoo Racing UK Corolla just nine thousandths-of-a-second behind.
Ollie Jackson put his new-for-2020 Ford Focus ST in the last of the top ten positions ahead of Adam Morgan’s Ciceley Motorsport Mercedes-Benz A-Class in 11th.
Chris Smiley, who gave Hyundai their maiden series podium last time out at Donington Park was ahead of race three winner Ash Sutton’s in his Infiniti Q50.
Tom Oliphant was 14th in the second WSR-run Team BMW machine, while Michael Crees completed the top 15 in the third BTC Racing Honda Civic Type R.
Bobby Thompson would ultimately place 16th in the session, despite causing a stoppage at the halfway mark after running wide on the exit of Druids and hitting the barrier.
The second British Touring Car Championship practice session in Kent gets underway at 12:05 BST.
Session results
| POS | NO | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 24 | Jake HILL |  |
MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square | Honda Civic Type-R | 15 | 1:31.729 | 0.000 |
| 2 | 3 | Tom CHILTON | |
BTC Racing | Honda Civic Type-R | 12 | 1:31.868 | 0.139 |
| 3 | 6 | Rory BUTCHER | |
Motorbase Performance | Ford Focus ST | 13 | 1:31.950 | 0.221 |
| 4 | 18 | Senna PROCTOR | |
Excelr8 Motorsport | Hyundai i30 Fastback N | 19 | 1:31.975 | 0.246 |
| 5 | 27 | Dan CAMMISH | |
Halfords Yuasa Racing | Honda Civic Type-R | 15 | 1:32.019 | 0.290 |
| 6 | 1 | Colin TURKINGTON | |
Team BMW | BMW 330i M Sport | 18 | 1:32.099 | 0.370 |
| 7 | 25 | Matt NEAL | |
Halfords Yuasa Racing | Honda Civic Type-R | 15 | 1:32.125 | 0.396 |
| 8 | 32 | Adam MORGAN | |
Carlube Triple R Racing with Mac Tools | Mercedes-Benz A-Class | 17 | 1:32.218 | 0.489 |
| 9 | 66 | Josh COOK | |
BTC Racing | Honda Civic Type-R | 15 | 1:32.351 | 0.622 |
| 10 | 80 | Tom INGRAM | |
Toyota Gazoo Racing UK with Ginsters | Toyota Corolla | 16 | 1:32.358 | 0.629 |
| 11 | 48 | Ollie JACKSON | |
Motorbase Performance | Ford Focus ST | 16 | 1:32.526 | 0.797 |
| 12 | 22 | Chris SMILEY | |
Excelr8 Motorsport | Hyundai i30 Fastback N | 12 | 1:32.586 | 0.857 |
| 13 | 116 | Ashley SUTTON | |
Laser Tools Racing | Infiniti Q50 | 16 | 1:32.595 | 0.866 |
| 14 | 15 | Tom OLIPHANT | |
Team BMW | BMW 330i M Sport | 17 | 1:32.706 | 0.977 |
| 15 | 777 | Michael CREES | |
The Clever Baggers with BTC Racing | Honda Civic Type-R | 17 | 1:32.721 | 0.992 |
| 16 | 19 | Bobby THOMPSON | |
GKR TradePriceCars.com | Audi S3 | 7 | 1:32.804 | 1.075 |
| 17 | 12 | Stephen JELLEY | |
Team Parker Racing | BMW 125i M Sport | 16 | 1:32.825 | 1.096 |
| 18 | 31 | Jack GOFF | |
RCIB Insurance Racing with Fox Transport | Volkswagen CC | 10 | 1:32.945 | 1.216 |
| 19 | 180 | James GORNALL | |
GKR TradePriceCars.com | Audi S3 | 15 | 1:33.134 | 1.405 |
| 20 | 16 | Aiden MOFFAT | |
Laser Tools Racing | Infiniti Q50 | 18 | 1:33.186 | 1.457 |
| 21 | 41 | Carl BOARDLEY | |
Team HARD. | BMW 125i M Sport | 12 | 1:33.572 | 1.843 |
| 22 | 4 | Sam OSBORNE | |
MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square | Honda Civic Type-R | 15 | 1:33.589 | 1.860 |
| 23 | 44 | Andy NEATE | |
Motorbase Performance | Ford Focus ST | 16 | 1:33.721 | 1.992 |
| 24 | 28 | Nicolas HAMILTON | |
ROKiT Racing with Team HARD. | Volkswagen CC | 14 | 1:35.280 | 3.551 |
| 25 | 34 | Ollie BROWN | |
RCIB Insurance Racing with Fox Transport | Volkswagen CC | 5 | 1:36.666 | 4.937 |
| 26 | 32 | Jack BUTEL | |
Carlube Triple R Racing with Mac Tools | Mercedes-Benz A-Class | 18 | 1:36.892 | 5.163 |