GABE FAIRBROTHER GRABS RECORD-BREAKING BRANDS HATCH POLE

Gabe Fairbrother emerged as the man to beat in a record-breaking Vertu MINI CHALLENGE Trophy qualifying session at Brands Hatch after bagging pole position for the second meeting of the campaign.

Fairbrother was the best of the ten drivers that dipped below the qualifying lap record set by Tom Ovenden back in 2023, helped in part by the warm weather conditions but also resurfacing work that has taken place at the circuit over the past week.

Ovenden’s record lasted little more than three minutes in the half-hour long session when Ashley Gregory was the first driver to dip below the mark, with Ronnie Smith and Josh Wilby taking turns at the front before Fairbrother put in his quickest time.

That put him 0167s ahead of Wilby, with two red flags late on hampering any opportunity for drivers to knock the EXCELR8 man off top spot.

The first of those came after James Sherrington suffered a spin off into the gravel at turn one, with the second caused by Gregory getting sideways at Paddock Hill Bend and almost going over when the left rear wheel folded under her car.

With the session halted slightly early Fairbrother was confirmed on pole despite a brief scare over a potential yellow flag infringement, for which he was given a verbal warning.

“It was good to convert our pace from practice into qualifying and we’ve given ourselves a good starting position,” he said. “It’s going to be so tight round here so we’re in the best place for race three, and we’ll now look to try and make up some of the ground we lost with the retirement at Snetterton.

“It’s going to be a challenge with the heat today and the fact we’re running for 20 minutes rather than the 15 we are used to round Brands Hatch, but it’s the same for us all.”

Wilby had to settle for the second quickest time and will be on the front row for both race one and race three of the weekend, with Ronnie Smith going third quickest for Race Car Consultants.

Smith’s second quickest time will put him on pole for race one of the weekend, with Fairbrother down in third.

Jenson Mason was fourth fastest on the times ahead of Luca Marinoni Osborne and Olivier Algieri – who had topped the times in qualifying for the opening meeting at Snetterton.

Marinoni Osborne’s second quickest time will see him line up fourth this afternoon for race one ahead of Gregory and Rhys Hurd, with Mason dropping down from fifth as a result of a penalty carried over from the opening weekend.