NEAL NEW LEADER WITH TWO WINS AS MULLER ALSO TASTES VICTORY
Team Halfords’ Matt Neal and Vauxhall’s Yvan
Muller were the winners of today’s (Sunday) three Dunlop
MSA British Touring Car Championship races at Brands Hatch,
Kent. Neal won the first two races to take the championship
lead from Dan Eaves, while Muller tasted victory in the third
race – which received live ITV1 coverage – to
keep up his chase of the title.
Neal and Eaves arrived at Brands with the heaviest cars,
their Honda Integras carrying more success ballast than their
rivals due to their top two places in the championship. But
that did not stop them qualifying first and second fastest
on the starting grid for race one.
Neal led into the first corner and held the position to the
chequered flag. But Eaves became trapped behind Muller and
in his frustration to get past slid off the track and out
of the race. With no points, he thus relinquished the championship
lead to Neal.
Muller was later passed for second by VX Racing team-mate
Colin Turkington and in the closing stages the Frenchman's
Astra Sport Hatch also came under attack from fourth-placed
Jason Plato’s SEAT Toledo. SEAT’s James Pickford,
although back in ninth, set the race’s fastest lap.
Race two saw Neal, despite carrying maximum ballast, repeat
his earlier performance. Again he led off the start line and
was still in front when he crossed it 27 laps later at the
finish. Plato, the 2001 BTCC champion, came out on top of
some dramatic place swapping in the closing stages to finish
second but was under pressure from Eaves who, with the aid
of the race’s fastest lap, had risen from last on the
grid to finish a fine third.
Muller and Turkington finished fourth and fifth, just ahead
of Rob Collard in the WSR team’s MG, the latter having
held second spot with three laps to go before a big slide
lost him momentum. Turkington’s drive to fifth was a
highlight after he had spun on lap one in a collision with
Collard.
The starting grid order for race three was the result of
race two but with the top ten reversed and this meant that
in pole position would be Ian Curley – making his BTCC
debut at Brands for local Kent-based team HPI Racing with
Friends Reunited. In front of the live ITV cameras, though,
Curley’s moment of fame was short-lived as his Lexus,
in contact with Eaves' Honda, was sent into a spin at the
very first bend.
Pickford, from second on the grid, led the opening laps until
being overtaken by Muller who held the position to the end
for his second win of 2005. Throughout, Muller was under attack
from Eaves who needed to overcome a sticking throttle on his
Integra. Plato was third with James Kaye, in Synchro Motorsport’s
Honda Civic, enjoying by far his best result of the season
so far in fourth. Turkington just fended off Neal to finish
fifth. Seventh-placed Tom Chilton, in the Arena Motorsports
team’s Civic, set the race’s fastest lap.
The three results mean Neal leads Eaves by seven points in
the title race as the BTCC now looks forward to its next three
races at Oulton Park, Cheshire on 18-19 June. Muller is third
and Plato fourth.
Neal, now with four wins to Eaves’ three, said: “It’s
been an excellent weekend for the team. To be leading the
championship feels great but what has also impressed me has
been the performance of the Integra with maximum ballast.
It just seems to be competitive no matter what the situation.
In the third race, there was a lot of action ahead of me and
I just wanted to keep my nose clean. Sixth isn’t ideal
but it got me some important points.”
Although he has lost his points lead to Neal, Eaves remained
upbeat. Eaves said: “My results today don’t reflect
how quick I was. It’s a shame about the throttle sticking
in the third race because it meant I couldn’t keep the
pressure on Yvan as much as I’d wanted. When I did get
close to him in the end he decided to be a very stubborn Frenchman!
I was disappointed with what happened in race one, but I bounced
back with two podiums. I’m only seven points behind
Matt and it’s not now that leading the championship
is important.”
Muller knows he will have an opportunity to keep up the pressure
on Neal and Eaves at Oulton – the circuit where he won
the BTCC title in 2003. “The Hondas are very quick,
but my win in race three today will give VX extra confidence.
It shows we are going in the right direction with the Astra
Sport Hatch which is still a new car to us. I really didn’t
think after qualifying we stood a chance here so to win the
last race was a really nice surprise.”
Meanwhile, Vauxhall has extended its lead over SEAT in the
BTCC’s Manufacturers’ championship to 42 points.
The gap between Team Halfords and VX Racing at the top of
the Teams’ title race remains at 42 points as both achieved
identical scores at Brands Hatch. Neal and Eaves and Team
Halfords have opened substantial leads in the Independents
Trophy’s championships for drivers and teams respectively.
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