Improved weather conditions and a drying track greeted the British Touring Car Championship field for the second 25-lap race at Mondello Park, with Honda Racing’s Alan Morrison earning the right to start the race from third on the grid, due to his podium finish in race one. Tom Chilton and Matt Neal started from seventh and tenth respectively on the grid but without the ballast weight handicaps imposed on the front-runners, as per the regulations.

A good start from Morrison allowed him to pass Muller and move up to second position but an under pressure Muller then shunted Morrison off the track two turns later. Morrison was able to rejoin the track in fourth, with Matt Neal in sixth and Tom Chilton in eighth at the end of the first lap.

Morrison, running with the weight penalty, then set his sights on David Leslie, as Matt Neal slipped down the inside of Anthony Reid on lap two to close on his team mate. Knowing that Matt Neal was running some 40 kilos lighter, Morrison let him pass on lap three to challenge Leslie. Neal then drove around the outside of the Proton to move up to second place when MG runner, Warren Hughes slid out on a damp part of the track.

With windscreen wiper use indicating worsening conditions, the Honda Racing duo set after race one winner James Thompson, some five seconds out in front. Within a few of laps, Neal had reduced this gap to a just over a second and set the fastest race lap in the process. Tom Chilton, who hadn’t made the best start, was involved in a battle for fifth with David Leslie, passing him on the eighth lap.

Unfortunately for Matt Neal, a mistake on lap 10 lost him vital seconds and pushed him down to fourth position. First to pit for Honda Racing was Morrison from second place, who made a quick stop to change his front two tyres for slicks. However, immediately afterwards, the rain started, making a change to full wet tyres necessary.

Neal made his change to wets straight away but a problem with his right wheel forced the Worcestershire driver to retire from the race. Alan Morrison’s nightmare continued as he was forced to pit again to put wets on, so it was left to 18-year-old Tom Chilton to lead the Honda Racing charge.

With 11 laps remaining and several cars in the gravel, the appearance of the safety car bunched up the field with Chilton lying in fourth and Morrison in seventh. It returned to pit lane four laps later, leaving the drivers to complete the final eight laps. Once over the start line, Chilton, who likes wet conditions, moved up to third place and set after the two leaders.

With Thompson defending his lead from Muller, Chilton drove confidently and quickly, knowing that the two Vauxhall drivers are renowned for tripping each other up on the track. Meanwhile, the fastest man on the circuit at this stage was Alan Morrison, who passed David Leslie to move up to fifth place.

A mistake by Thompson on the start of the final lap allowed Yvan Muller to slip through but Thompson squeezed through again on the penultimate corner to take the victory. With a badly misfiring engine, Muller was almost beaten to the chequered flag by Honda Racing’s Tom Chilton, who missed out on second position by just eight hundredths of a second. Alan Morrison came home in fifth position and also picked up the Will Hoy Most Spirited Driver award.

Tom Chilton: “After running off the track in the first place, I was determined to make amends. I’m delighted to have equalled my best ever result in the British Touring Car Championship and to have shown that I can perform in the most challenging of conditions. I’d like to thank everyone associated with Honda Racing for how hard they have worked this weekend to get my car performing so well.”

Alan Morrison: “My condition in the race hinged on the gamble we took on tyres. Unfortunately we selected the wrong option, which resulted in a second pit stop. However, it was important to consolidate fifth place and the points that go with it for the championship.”

Matt Neal: “I’m frustrated to have not come away from Mondello Park with any points. I’m a great believer in fate but unfortunately luck wasn’t on my side today. I’m now looking forwards to Brands Hatch in a fortnight’s time. The chance to make up on lost ground can’t come soon enough for me.”