Neal leads Honda 1-2 in race one

Despite a damp track, Neal opted to start the race on slick tyres. After launching into the lead at the start, he simply drove away from the field to win by over eight seconds and take his first victory for over a year.

Track conditions at the start played into the hands of those who opted to start with front slicks and rear wets.

Polesitter Tom Chilton and his Arena Ford team-mate Tom Onslow-Cole benefited initially from this, as did Eurotech Vauxhall's Andrew Jordan, who ran second early on.

But with the track drying quickly, all three dropped down the field, Onslow-Cole sliding off the track at Pif-Paf on lap three and Chilton pitting for slick rears soon after.

By quarter distance, it became clear that the cars on full slicks had a massive advantage. Gordon Shedden and Jason Plato, both of whom lost ground initially, fought back superbly to lie second and third by half distance.

Try as he may, Plato could not find a way past Shedden, who took his best finish of the year and completed the first Honda 1-2 in the BTCC since 2007. Chevrolet driver Plato's rostrum finish did move him into the lead of the championship, however.

Tom Boardman, who started back in 14th, was sensational as he climbed up to a career-best fourth by the flag in his Special Tuning UK SEAT. Steven Kane was right behind him after the Motorbase BMW man passed Paul O'Neill's Tech-Speed Honda on the final lap.

Onslow-Cole was the highest-placed of the drivers who still had at least two wet tyres on their car by the end. He was eighth. Behind him, Martin Johnson, who started from the pitlane, took a career-best ninth spot.

Rob Collard fought back after starting on full wets, the WSR BMW setting the fastest lap and passing Chilton for the final points position at the final corner of the race.

Pos  Driver            Car            Time/Gap
 1.  Matt Neal         Honda        23m38.434s
 2.  Gordon Shedden    Honda          + 8.233s
 3.  Jason Plato       Chevrolet      + 8.918s
 4.  Tom Boardman      SEAT          + 14.968s
 5.  Steven Kane       BMW           + 16.844s
 6.  Paul O'Neill      Honda         + 17.127s
 7.  Andrew Jordan     Vauxhall      + 34.091s
 8.  Tom Onslow-Cole   Ford          + 34.508s
 9.  Martin Johnson    Vauxhall      + 51.262s
10.  Rob Collard       BMW           + 56.209s
11.  Tom Chilton       Ford          + 56.758s
12.  Alex MacDowall    Chevrolet   + 1m12.307s
13.  Mat Jackson       BMW             + 1 lap
14.  Shaun Hollamby    Volkswagen      + 1 lap
15.  Matt Hamilton     Honda           + 1 lap
16.  John George       Honda           + 1 lap
17.  Arthur Forster    BMW             + 1 lap
18.  David Pinkney     Vauxhall        + 1 lap

Retirements:

     Andy Neate        BMW         1 lap
     James Nash        Vauxhall    1 lap