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BTCC 2012 Index

Neal takes title as Chilton wins race three at Silverstone

BTCC News | Sun 16th October 2011

Matt Neal has been crowned 2011 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car champion after finishing eighth in the final race of the season.

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By Matt Lamprell

Tom Chilton won race three at Silverstone ahead of Jason Plato, but it was the battle down the order between Neal and Shedden that settled the outcome of the championship.

Neal's eighth place finish was enough to hand him the title, eight points ahead of Shedden, who finished the race in tenth.

Neal came into the race six points ahead of his Honda Racing teammate and one place ahead on the grid, so it was going to take something dramatic to prevent Neal from winning.

There were no real dramas for Neal during the race, although Shedden kept the pressure on throughout. Neal made no mistakes and there was just no way past for Shedden.

It looked like an NGTC car might play a role in deciding the championship towards the end of the race, when first Rob Austin and then Frank Wrathall challenged Shedden and Neal in the closing stages. Austin got past both Hondas, while Wrathall ended up splitting them – without changing the outcome of the title fight.

That left Neal to take the chequered flag in eighth and celebrate his third BTCC title.

2011 BTCC champion Matt Neal said, “It’s been such a gigantic team effort all year. This if for Honda, for Team Dynamics, for Flash – it’s for all of them. I almost feel bad for winning this. One qualifying session split me and Flash and that was here at Silverstone.

“This is such a special thing in British motorsport. I didn’t think I would win it once, let alone three times. Maybe I can help Flash win it next year.”

Aside from the championship battle, the race at the front saw Tom Chilton get the jump on polesitter Alex MacDowall. Plato moved into second and went on to challenge Chilton, but was forced to follow the turbocharged Ford all the way to the chequered flag.

Tom Boardman got past MacDowall to take third place. MacDowall finished fourth, ahead of Andrew Jordan.

Rob Austin charged through the pack from the sixth row of the grid and showed strong pace towards the end of the race to claim sixth place. Tom Onslow-Cole finished seventh, with Neal in eighth and Wrathall ninth. Shedden picked up a single point by finishing tenth.

The final points standings for the 2011 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship are: Matt Neal - 257, Gordon Shedden - 249, Jason Plato - 236, Mat Jackson - 191, James Nash - 191.

Congratulations to the 2011 BTCC champions:

Matt Neal – BTCC Drivers champion
Honda/Dynamics – Manufacturers/Constructors champion
Honda Racing – HiQ Teams champion
James Nash – Independents champion
888 Racing with Collins Contractors - Independent Team champion

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