Donington 1: Neal snatches victory

The Honda ace took the lead from pole-sitter Thompson at the start, and ran comfortably in front until the VX Racing pit crew performed a superb stop to get the reigning champion back in front.

Neal didn't give up and kept up the pressure on Thompson before he finally snuck pass, leaving the Vauxhall star bitterly disappointed. "I thought I'd got the corner covered - the race won - but then Matt was alongside me," he said. "I've not see the television footage to know if there was a gap for him. I'll reserve judgement until I do."

Thompson's frustrations were amplified by championship leader Yvan Muller's storming drive through the field to third, after being forced to start from the back of the grid after an electrical problem in qualifying. A combination of luck - both Proton's going off in the first corner - and sublime driving - amazing passes on the battling duo of Paul O'Neill and Warren Hughes - guided the Frenchman through the field.

Warren Hughes came home fourth for MG, ahead of Tom Morrison and Paul O'Neill. Carl Breeze was the top Independent Class runner in seventh.

Luke Hines took victory in the Production Class, meaning that he only needs to finish ahead of Alan Blencowe and Michael Bentwood in race two to clinch the title.

Matt Neal (Honda) 32m02.449s
James Thompson (Vauxhall) +0.200s
Yvan Muller (Vauxhall) +16.085s
Warren Hughes (MG) +17.597s
Alan Morrison (Honda) +20.414s
Paul O'Neill (Vauxhall) +20.485s