Three-time champion Sutton, starting his second season with the Motorbase Performance Ford Focus squad, led the way in the regular 30-minute qualifying session from Rowbottom to the tune of 0.135 seconds.
But in the top 10 shootout, Sutton fell foul of new track limits regulations due to be implemented this summer by governing body Motorsport UK, but which BTCC organiser TOCA elected to introduce from the start of its season.
Sutton had gone 0.1s quicker than his Q1 time, but that lap was disallowed and appeared to leave him facing a ninth place start.
But the Motorbase squad fitted a fresh pair of slick Goodyears to the front of Sutton’s Ford - he had time for just one flying lap and went purple in the long second sector - but he lost time through the chicane and finished up 0.041s adrift of Rowbottom.
“It’s brilliant,” said Rowbottom, who is contesting his first race weekend since joining Motorbase. “That’s the result of a winter of hard work.
“We’ve kind of set the bar now, haven’t we? The team have given us a good car, so as long as we don’t trip over each other we’ll be OK.”
Sutton admitted: “I just played it safe through the last chicane to get a time on the board, and I played it too safe.
“In Q1 I played it safe and did a sensible lap that was good enough for pole [and was quicker than Rowbottom’s Q2 effort by 0.028s], but then in Q2 I pushed a bit more and found the new track-limit rule…
“I’m kicking myself, but it’s a mega start to the championship – the car is on rails.”
Source: Autosport