Neal extends lead with race 3 win

The reigning champion edged ahead of slow-starting polesitter Gareth Howell when the lights went out, but Vauxhall's Tom Chilton was even faster away and speared between the two Team Halfords cars and into the lead.

Not for the first time this season, Chilton's advantage was short-lived. Neal was all over the back of the Vauxhall during the opening laps, and then slipped ahead on lap three.

He then pulled out a comfortable gap and cruised to a commanding victory.

James Thompson was the next driver to appear on Chilton's tail, having benefited from the bruising and spectacular initial battle for third between the two Team RAC/WSR MGs and the other two Halfords Hondas of Howell and Gordon Shedden.

While the orange quartet bounced off each other, Thompson found space to slip through, and was soon past Chilton as well. By that time, though, Neal was long gone.

Turkington came out best from the Halfords/RAC showdown, emerging in fourth place and holding it to the flag.

Plato had progressed to fifth by half-distance, but had Shedden swarming all over the back of him, with Mike Jordan loitering in the background, and briefly splitting the dicing pair after they went wheel-to-wheel through three corners on lap 11.

It took Shedden many laps of constant probing before he made it past Plato at the Esses on lap 16, rubbing panels several times before the Integra managed to exit the corner ahead.

CLASSIFIED:

Pos  Driver               Make                   Time
 1.  Matt Neal            Honda Integra          22:09.291
 2.  James Thompson       SEAT Leon              +   0.657
 3.  Tom Chilton          Vauxhall Astra Sport   +   4.681
 4.  Colin Turkington     MG ZS                  +   6.367
 5.  Gordon Shedden       Honda Integra          +  12.425
 6.  Jason Plato          SEAT Leon              +  14.089
 7.  Gavin Smith          Vauxhall Astra Sport   +  16.215
 8.  James Kaye           Honda Civic Type R     +  21.265
 9.  Mark Proctor         Honda Civic Type R     +  23.046
10.  Eoin Murray          Alfa Romeo 156         +  26.990
11.  David Pinkney        Honda Integra          +  49.591
12.  Mike Jordan          Honda Integra          +  52.377
13.  Martyn Bell          BMW 320i E46           +  56.549
14.  Erkut Kizilirmak     Vauxhall Astra Sport   +1:01.837
15.  Jason Hughes         MG ZS                  +1:04.537
16.  Mark Smith           Alfa Romeo 156         +  1 Lap

NOT CLASSIFIED:

     Driver               Make                  Laps
     Fiona Leggate        Vauxhall Astra Coupe   13
     Gareth Howell        Honda Integra           6
     Robert Collard       MG ZS                   2
     Fabrizio Giovanardi  Vauxhall Astra Sport    0

Fastest lap: Gordon Shedden, 1:12.679 on lap 5