Mondello 1: Muller wins

Muller made the best start from pole position as Reid was a touch slow away and had to go side-by-side with WSR team-mate Colin Turkington round Honda, the first corner.

Reid soon established himself in a solid second place, with Turkington initially a close third.

Matt Neal was the man on the move in the Team Dynamics Honda maintaining his sixth place off the start, but soon starting to attack Jason Plato's SEAT in fifth place. He made it up into fifth with a move that started at Dunlop, the last corner at the end of lap three and was completed at the second - left handed - corner of lap four. In between the pair were side-by-side with Neal on the outside through two-right handers and down the straight.

Two laps later Neal pulled a similar move on James Thompson in fourth place and set out after Turkington.

Over the balance of the 14 laps Reid attacked Muller relentlessly, but without success, even though the Frenchman was carrying maximum success ballast following his Oulton Park win.

Neal did the same to Turkington, but the young Northern Irish driver took his first podium finish of the year in his first ever BTCC race at Mondello - he's been quick in qualifying for the past two years, but for one reason or another never managed a racing lap.

Neal slowed up over the final lap in fourth, with Vauxhall works drivers Thompson and Luke Hines completing the top six.

Plato eased off over the closing laps to book a front row start for race two with ninth place, while Michael Bentwood slotted into the pole-winning 10th place after Shaun Watson-Smith's Proton lost pace over the final lap - shortly after Dan Eaves attempt to take 10th from him ended with the second Team Dynamics Honda in the gravel.

Yvan Muller Vauxhall 25m34.125s
Anthony Reid MG +0.227s
Colin Turkington MG +6.400s
Matt Neal Honda +8.820s
James Thompson Vauxhall +10.026s
Luke Hines Vauxhall +10.848s
Tom Chilton Honda +11.697s
Rob Huff SEAT +15.720s
Jason Plato SEAT +17.300s
Michael Bentwood Vauxhall +18.379s