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Neal leads Honda 1-2 in first race at Rockingham

BTCC News | Sun 25th April 2010

Matt Neal claimed victory in the first race at Rockingham, with tyre choice on a drying track playing a crucial role in determining the result.

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Rain early in the morning at Rockingham left the track damp ahead of round four of the 2010 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship. That meant the choice between slick and grooved tyres was critical - with slicks proving to be the best option.

Both Honda Racing Team Civics started on slick tyres, while pole-sitting Tom Chilton and his fellow Team Aon racer Tom Onslow-Cole preferred a mix of slicks and wets.

Despite the grippier tyres, Chilton failed to make the most of pole position and it was Neal who led through Deene for the first time. Onslow-Cole moved up into second when Chilton spun at Gracelands.

Matt Neal quickly opened up a lead at the front as the order changed behind him. Onslow-Cole ran wide on the second lap and lost places to Chilton and Andrew Jordan. Before long, all three were passed by Shedden and Plato, who made rapid progress through the pack on their slick tyres.

First to pit and change tyres was Airwaves BMW's Mat Jackson at the end of lap three. It left him a lap down on the leaders, but his pace improved drastically. Chilton also pitted soon afterwards.

At the halfway point in the race, Neal had a 10-second lead at the front, with Shedden in second defending from Jason Plato.

Behind the three leaders, Onslow-Cole was holding on to fourth spot, ahead of Jordan and Tom Boardman. Paul O'Neill and Steven Kane were fighting over seventh, with the Sunshine.co.uk just ahead.

The track continued to dry as the race went on and the slick runners' advantage increased. Matt Neal's lead at the front was gradually being eroded by Shedden and Plato, but he was far enough ahead to be untroubled through to the flag.

Neal took his first win of the season – and his third career victory at Rockingham. He was followed across the line by teammate Shedden and Chevrolet's Jason Plato.

Tom Boardman was the top independent finisher in fourth, ahead of Kane in fifth and O'Neill in sixth. Pirtek Racing's Andrew Jordan took seventh spot, while Onslow-Cole was eighth and Martin Johnson ninth. Having stopped to switch to slick tyres, Rob Collard just edged out Tom Chilton for tenth position, claiming the final championship point.

Race winner Matt Neal said: "It was key for us that we were on the dry side of the grid. It was still damp and I got a lot of wheelspin, but it wasn't as bad as Tom [Chilton]'s side. I thought the Fords would be a lot stronger in the first half of the race, but slicks was definitely the right choice for us for the second half of the race. We had a few scares and there was a big rumbling coming from the front-right five laps from home."

Click here for race one result.

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