Knockhill BTCC: Matt Neal snatches race three win from Adam Morgan

Morgan had established a comfortable lead on two occasions in his Ciceley Racing Mercedes A-Class, but saw one wiped out by a safety car and the other by his own mistake.

Starting a reverse-grid finale on pole for the third time this season, Morgan led stable-mate Aiden Moffat away at the start and proceeded to space between himself and the Scottish youngster in the opening laps.

A dislodged tyre stack at the chicane required a one-lap safety car so it could be replaced, and on the restart Morgan pulled away from Moffat again - this time to the tune of more than three seconds as the Scot came under pressure from Neal.

Moffat made a mistake at the chicane on lap eight and ran slightly into the gravel, releasing Neal - though Morgan actually extended his lead slightly in the first couple of laps that Neal ran second.

Soon enough Neal started to take chunks out of the advantage, and had it down to 1.3 seconds when Morgan hit the tyre stack at the chicane with two laps left.

Debris covered the A-Class's radiator grill and although Morgan managed to dislodge it at the hairpin, Neal was on his tail - and dived inside a lap later when Morgan left a gap open at the same corner.

Morgan threw everything at the Civic Type-R on the final lap but could not get back ahead, and so had to settle for second.

Behind, Moffat lost out to Andy Priaulx in the race for the final podium slot - though was only denied a maiden BTCC rostrum by contact from the WSR driver at Scotsman.

Moffat did manage to fend off Rob Austin's Audi A4 to take fourth on the road, while championship leader Jason Plato ended a difficult weekend with a peak of sixth.

The Team BMR driver drove a strong defensive race in his Volkswagen CC, and kept Andrew Jordan at bay by little under a second after the MG man had his own mirrors full dealing with a train comprising Sam Tordoff, Gordon Shedden, Rob Collard and Mat Jackson.

Tordoff, from the back of the grid, got ahead of that group but then picked up suspension damage attempting to pass Austin and retired - while Collard briefly got ahead of Jordan as well, but spun at Leslie's after what looked like a mechanical failure.

That allowed Jordan to steal seventh ahead of Shedden's Honda, while Jackson and Eurotech Honda driver Martin Depper completed the top 10.

RESULT - 25 LAPS:

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: