Jason Plato admitted to feeling mixed emotions having picked up his first pole position of the BTCC season at Knockhill.

The Team BMR driver returned to the front of the grid for the first time since the corresponding meeting last year with what was his 50th career pole, with the former champion edging out team-mate Ash Sutton for top spot.

Plato’s pole came after a topsy-turvy qualifying session on a drying circuit, with the quickest laps coming right at the death as the chequered flag flew.

However, although happy to have picked up pole for the second successive season, Plato said he remained frustrated at the ultimate performance of his car and was expecting a difficult race day.

“Of course I’m pleased to be on pole, but the reason to smile today comes from the fact that the weather dealt us a tricky circuit,” he said. “Had it been dry, we’d have been eighth or ninth as I wouldn’t have had the grip in the car so I’m still p***ed off about that. I can’t be happy with a situation where I’m not competitive under normal circumstances, and even in qualifying, with the weight I was carrying compared to Ash, I should have been further up the road.

“Unless we can sort the understeer in the car, and we haven’t been able to do it all season, then it’s going to be a struggle tomorrow. Obviously it’s better to be at the front, but I don’t want to get in the way of Ash as I want him to win the championship, and there are probably conversations to be had. I’m happy to have those conversations because we are all here to race for the team, and for Subaru and our sponsors, but I want to be competitive and I’m not.

“I know that probably sounds stupid when I’m sat on pole position but this has just been one of those years; it’s probably been the hardest since I started racing.”