Honda’s Matt Neal has won an eventful first British Touring Car Championship race of the day at Oulton Park – taking victory by just 0.242 seconds from Pirtek’s Andrew Jordan.
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At the start of the race reigning champion Neal was presented with a clear track in front of him after problems for pole sitter Jason Plato forced him out of the race before it had even begun. Plato was wheeled off the grid with problems relating to the right-front wishbone on his MG and was forced to watch from the sidelines.
When the lights went out it was eBay Motors’ Rob Collard who got off to the best start, taking full advantage of his rear-wheel drive BMW to lead into the first corner, having started from third. Collard would hold the lead for the opening laps of the race before being passed by the much quicker NGTC Honda on the fifth lap.
Neal then proceeded to open up an advantage over the chasing pack, leading by 2.315 seconds before the safety car was called on lap 9. At the time he had been leading Jordan, after the 23 year-old found a way past Collard with a small tap at the hairpin.
Tom Onslow-Cole had been pushing for a podium finish and was running in fourth position until he lost the rear of his car at Cascades on the ninth lap. With his BMW stuck on the extremely wet grass the safety car was called upon, eliminating Neal’s lead at the front. At the same time Liam Griffin’s Redstone Ford Focus stopped on the circuit with mechanical problems.
When the safety car pulled into the pits, Jordan immediately set about pressuring Neal for the win. Ultimately, however, he was unable to find a way past allowing Neal to score his second win of the season. Jordan and Collard both another visit to the podium, with the result marking Collard’s first podium since winning the opening race of the season.
Gordon Shedden finished in fourth but was unable to find the pace to really challenge the leaders, with Mat Jackson taking fifth after having started in tenth.
Daniel Welch and Andy Neate scored their best results of the season by taking sixth and seventh respectively, both drivers benefitting in the closing laps when others further up the order had incidents.
On his debut in the BTCC Rob Austin Racing’s Will Bratt finished in eighth, with Nick Foster and Lea Wood completing the top ten.
Failing to finish the race were Adam Morgan, who was tapped into the barriers on the final lap. The Speedworks racer had been on for his strongest-ever result in the series and was running in eighth at the time. Chris James had an eventful race which ended with a high-speed off into the barriers at Druids on the final lap, whilst Árón Smith retired on the 14th lap when running in ninth with a right-rear puncutre, likely caused by contact at the chicane.
Tom Onslow-Cole was able to rejoin after his first spin at Cascades but ultimately retired from the race when he repeated the spin on the 14th lap.
Round 11 of the 2012 BTCC takes place at 1434 GMT.