Cooper Tires British F3 International Series leader Daniel Ricciardo will enjoy the benefit of 🎶a pole position start in tomorrow [Friday]'s 13th round of the championship at the Belgian Grand Prix circui🍌t of Spa-Francorchamps.

The Australian bagged the pole from his꧒ Carlin Motorsport team-mate Max Chilton by a three-tenth marg🧸in.

"That was great, suc✤h fun," said Ricciardo after taking his third qualifying top spot of the season. "An F3 car is fantastic around this circuit. There is so much grip you just feel you can go quicker and quicker all the time."

Ricciardo's qualifyi✨ng performance was all the more impressive for being his first dry-track experience of an F3 car at Spa, as both the day's free practice꧂ sessions were wet.

Meanwhlie wet practice pacesetter Renger van der Zande was just over two-♛tenths slower than Chilton to bag third plaꩲce on the grid for Hitech, with CF Racing's Hywel Lloyd a superb fourth quickest.

The Welsh driver put his performance down to his Dallara's lusty Neil Brown Engineeri♑ng🔯-tuned Mugen Honda engine.

"The engine is fantastic here," saiಌd Lloyd. "If we were going to have an advantag⛎e anywhere it was going to be here, a real power circuit. I'm delighted but it is taking time to sink in."

F3 Euro Series championship🐠 leader Jules Bianchi - one of five Invitation Class runners at Spa this weekend - was fifth quickest in his ART Grand Prix Dallara, ahead of Donington raꦫce winner Walter Grubmuller in the second Hitech car.

Donington's ♌other victor, Wa🦩yne Boyd, was one of three drivers in the wars: "I lost it at Pouhon, spun and hit the barriers," said the Ulsterman. Fortunately damage to his T-Sport Dallara was light.

The other cars to go off, the N💫ational class machines ไof Gabriel Dias and Max Snegirev, were less intact.

Dias's crash came after he had set the best National Class qualifying time with a mark two-te𒆙nths better than that set by his arch class rival, Foretc's Daniel McKenzie.