BTCC round 1 report - Brands Hatch

A perfect start for Ford's Alain Menu on pole position put the Swiss star in total control of the race from the lights and he never looked back. Behind him, wheelspin at the start caused his team-mate Rickard Rydell to dive to the inside, from second on the grid, to protect his position into the first corner from Vauxhall's Yvan Muller who got away from the line better.
Muller was forced to the outside round the plunging Paddock corner and had to fall in behind Rydell going into the Druids hairpin, but the spectacular French ace was not going to let 1998 BTCC champion Rydell go. The pair provided the battle of the race for the next seven laps as Muller attacked at virtually every corner. He eventually dived through on the inside at Surtees while Rydell was lapping a slower Class B car. Muller then began the pursuit of Menu, facing the challenge of closing down a gap of three seconds.

The fight for the final place on the podium was just hotting up, however, with a four-car battle for third place developing between Honda's James Thompson, Vauxhall's Jason Plato, Rydell and reigning Michelin Cup for Independents champion Matt Neal, in a Nissan Primera. Neal dropped out of the pack a lap later after receiving damage in a collision with Rydell, the resulting oversteer slowing his progress.

Thompson then attempted to overtake Rydell but spun as he got past and dropped two places, putting Plato into fourth and Rydell third. Plato tried everything to pass the Swede but Rydell defending his position well to stay ahead at the flag.

Neal held on to his lead in the Michelin Cup for Independents, coming home tenth, just ahead of Colin Blair in a similar Nissan Primera. In Class B, Alan Morrison had it all his own way. After out-qualifying all his rivals, he was quick off the line at the lights and was never headed, taking the first win in Class B in the BTCC.

Menu: "I managed to open up a small gap in the first three laps, then I just had to control the race. When Yvan overtook Rickard I wasn't sure what to expect but the gap stayed the same so I decided to back off a bit and did enough to stay in the lead. I'm more pleased for the guys in the team than I am for me. They have worked so hard during the winter to make this car into a winner and all their efforts have paid off. "

Muller: "I think if I had three of four more laps I might have been able to catch Alain, but we'll never know. I am very happy with this result considering the position we were in when we came here last year. The Vauxhall is much improved."

Rydell: "I'm very pleased to be up there on the pace of Alain and Anthony. This is my first year with the team and to be so competitive early on is better than anything I could have hoped for."

Neal: "Obviously I'm pleased to have won the Michelin Cup for Independents but I'm disappointed with the overall result because the car felt so good early in the race. Going into Surtees Rickard hit the rear corner of the car and that caused terminal oversteer which just got worse and worse."

Morrison: "The Peugeot seems to have the legs on everyone in Class B at the moment and it's great to win the first race. But I'm sure the others will catch up as the season progresses."

Results Race 1