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Dave Newsham put himself in contention for a strong showing in the British Touring Car Championship at Rockingham this weekend by setting the fastest time in free practice.

The Speedworks Toyota Avensis driver produced a last-gasp sequence of laps to beat Triple Eight MG ace Sam Tordoff to the top spot by 0.259s in the second of two sessions.

The former Clio Cup champion was the only man to lap below 1m23s and drove two consecutive laps quick enough to top the times.

Snetterton race winner Tordoff set the pace early in the second session, which unlike this morning's first session was held in dry conditions. He slipped down the order as others improved, but had just reclaimed top spot before Newsham's late flourish knocked him back to second.

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Team-mate Jason Plato spent most of the second session in the pits and wound up 10th fastest, nearly seven tenths adrift of Tordoff.

Mat Jackson's Motorbase Ford Focus pipped Jeff Smith's Eurotech Honda Civic (which also briefly topped the times late-on) to the third fastest time, while Adam Morgan's Toyota and Smith's title contending team-mate Andrew Jordan completed the top six, ahead of Nick Foster and Will Bratt.

Reigning champion Gordon Shedden had his factory Honda Civic up to second at one point, but pitted before the end of the session with a mysterious problem and slipped to ninth.

Team-mate Matt Neal was only 16th quickest in the other factory Civic, having earlier topped the morning's wet session from Shedden and Jordan in a Honda 1-2-3.

Tom Onslow-Cole was 11th quickest on his Motorbase Ford Focus debut, just ahead of the other WSR BMWs of Rob Collard and Colin Turkington.

Practice two

Pos Driver Team/Car Time Gap 1. Dave Newsham Speedworks Toyota 1m22.839s 2. Sam Tordoff MG 1m23.098s +0.259s 3. Mat Jackson Motorbase Ford 1m23.245s +0.406s 4. Jeff Smith Eurotech Honda 1m23.349s +0.510s 5. Adam Morgan Ciceley Toyota 1m23.451s +0.612s 6. Andrew Jordan Eurotech Honda 1m23.521s +0.682s 7. Nick Foster WSR BMW 1m23.524s +0.685s 8. Will Bratt Austin Audi 1m23.616s +0.777s 9. Gordon Shedden Honda 1m23.629s +0.790s 10. Jason Plato MG 1m23.717s +0.878s 11. Tom Onslow-Cole Motorbase Ford 1m23.751s +0.912s 12. Rob Collard WSR BMW 1m23.873s +1.034s 13. Colin Turkington WSR BMW 1m23.900s +1.061s 14. Rob Austin Austin Audi 1m23.973s +1.134s 15. Aron Smith Motorbase Ford 1m23.979s +1.140s 16. Matt Neal Honda 1m24.047s +1.208s 17. Jack Goff Hard Vauxhall 1m24.106s +1.267s 18. Andy Neate IP Tech Chevrolet 1m24.155s +1.316s 19. Ollie Jackson Speedworks Toyota 1m24.175s +1.336s 20. Frank Wrathall Dynojet Toyota 1m24.646s +1.807s 21. Howard Fuller Hard Volkswagen 1m25.156s +2.317s 22. Warren Scott BMR Volkswagen 1m25.386s +2.547s 23. Lea Wood Wood Vauxhall 1m26.173s +3.334s 24. Liam Griffin Motorbase Ford 1m26.272s +3.433s 25. Andy Wilmot Hard Volkswagen 1m27.274s +4.435s 26. David Nye Welch Ford 1m28.251s +5.412s 27. Daniel Welch Welch Proton no time

Practice one

Pos Driver Team/Car Time Gap 1. Matt Neal Honda 1m34.978s 2. Gordon Shedden Honda 1m35.111s +0.133s 3. Andrew Jordan Eurotech Honda 1m35.741s +0.763s 4. Dave Newsham Speedworks Toyota 1m35.743s +0.765s 5. Frank Wrathall Dynojet Toyota 1m35.842s +0.864s 6. Will Bratt Austin Audi 1m35.987s +1.009s 7. Sam Tordoff MG 1m35.994s +1.016s 8. Mat Jackson Motorbase Ford 1m36.204s +1.226s 9. Jason Plato MG 1m36.224s +1.246s 10. Adam Morgan Ciceley Toyota 1m36.413s +1.435s 11. Ollie Jackson Speedworks Toyota 1m36.710s +1.732s 12. Rob Austin Austin Audi 1m36.792s +1.814s 13. Colin Turkington WSR BMW 1m36.854s +1.876s 14. Jeff Smith Eurotech Honda 1m36.890s +1.912s 15. Aron Smith Motorbase Ford 1m37.167s +2.189s 16. Nick Foster WSR BMW 1m37.176s +2.198s 17. Howard Fuller Hard Volkswagen 1m37.942s +2.964s 18. Tom Onslow-Cole Motorbase Ford 1m37.988s +3.010s 19. Jack Goff Hard Vauxhall 1m38.033s +3.055s 20. Rob Collard WSR BMW 1m38.240s +3.262s 21. Andy Neate IP Tech Chevrolet 1m38.648s +3.670s 22. Warren Scott BMR Volkswagen 1m38.965s +3.987s 23. Daniel Welch Welch Proton 1m39.320s +4.342s 24. Lea Wood Wood Vauxhall 1m39.397s +4.419s 25. Andy Wilmot Hard Volkswagen 1m39.808s +4.830s 26. Liam Griffin Motorbase Ford 1m41.894s +6.916s 27. David Nye Welch Ford 1m45.115s +10.137s