Paul O’Neill was denied his second ever BTCC win by a last-gasp move from Honda Racing driver Matt Neal, which saw O’Neill’s former team-mate forcefully pass him as the pair came through Clearways for the final time. O’Neill had led the race since the mandatory pitstops, making the most of a clear track and lack of extra ballast to put in a number of hot laps after making his stop.

As the race got underway, after a long hold from the starters, it was Neal who led the pack out of Paddock and up towards Druids for the first time. Frenchman Yvan Muller was second whilst pole-sitter James Thompson, in his 200th BTCC race, slipped to fourth behind Warren Hughes. O’Neill was fifth with Collard, the lead independent in sixth spot.

From the start it was clear that Thompson’s extra ballast, carried as a result of winning round two at Mondello Park, were proving a handicap. O’Neill had closed up on the back of Thompson by the tenth lap, and slipped past the current champion on the run-up to Druids. On the same lap, Gavin Pyper took to the grass in his independent Astra to pass the MG of Colin Turkington on the way through Mclaren.

Thompson dropped another place on lap 15 as Collard passed the works driver, again at Druids. The VX Racing driver was the first to make his pitstop, coming in at the end of lap 16, followed by Gavin Pyper and Phil Bennett. O’Neill stopped on the following lap whilst leader, Neal, was one of the last to pit. The Honda driver was followed in to the pits by Yvan Muller, and it was Muller who emerged in front, as a result of congestion in the pit-lane and a problem with Neal’s front-right wheel.

As Muller rejoined the track, a flying Paul O’Neill came up alongside. The pair went through Paddock Bend side by side, before O’Neill, with the advantage of being up to speed on warm tyres, passed Muller at Druids. Behind the lead pair, it was the MG of Warren Hughes in third, with Neal fourth and Thompson fifth. Hughes soon started to put pressure on Muller, with the MG hitting the rear of Muller’s Astra as the pair went in to Druids. On the following lap, Muller was psuhed wide in to the gravel on the outside of Paddock Bend, with Neal and Hughes both passing, and taking up second and third positions respectively.

With five laps to go, O’Neill led by two seconds from Neal, and the Honda man set about catching the youngster. Going in to the final lap, Neal continued to close but was not close enough to make a move in the early parts of the lap. On the way through Clearways for the final time, Neal made an optimistic lunge to pass O’Neill on the inside. As the Astra Coupe was pushed sideways, both Neal and Muller were able to pass, handing Neal his first victory of the season. O’Neill recovered to take third spot, whilst Warren Hughes was also a victim of the last corner action, ending his race in the tyre barrier.

Neal commented: “I can never win a race easily – it’s always hard work. As I went round, I was actually thinking, the car’s sweet, the tyres are sweet, everything’s sweet – it was going to be the first race I’ve ever won from the front.

Then with the pitstop, Tom Boardman was parked right in front of our bay and after that, there was a problem with one of the wheels. The car was great though. The tyres really lasted well. I had to take a trip down the grass at one point to get past Warren going up to Druids – I didn’t think I was going to stop!

Paul couldn’t brake anything like as late as I could. The two big places I could take it out of him were in to Clearways and in to Paddock and it was just a question of closing him down. When I got behind him, I thought he’d got it in the bag, but then he was running wide going in to a couple of corners and he just left the door open going in to Clearways. So I wasn’t going to be asked twice. I committed and then he saw me coming and closed the door. Once you’re committed, you can’t back out. I’d have liked to have seen Junior win another race, but if he leaves the door open, I’m going to take the opportunity.”

The Astras of O’Neill and Muller were equally battered as they crossed the line. Muller, who was behind the lead pair at the last corner, said: “I didn’t see anything of what happened between Matt and Paul. I think there was something, but I didn’t see properly. When Matt hit Paul, I was still in Surtees, and that’s not a corner where you have time to look at what’s happening in front of you.

There was damage to the rear of my car – not the front – the bumper was hanging off and moving around. At one stage I had to open the window because I had smoke in the car, and the smell was bad and I couldn’t see. I njoyed the race though, it was exciting. I was surprised to be second for three quarters of the race even with my weight penalty. I was impressed again by the pit crew – they did a fantastic job.

It was an exciting race with Warren. I closed the door to keep him behind and he hit me. I have to accept that. Next time it might be the other way round.

When I came out of the pits and Paul was alongside, I thought about last year here with James. As it was Paul, I left him some space. Two laps later though, it was the same situation with Warren, and I was a lot harder on him than with Paul.”

A disappointed Paul O’Neill added: “I had a good old dice with Muller who was on cold tyres after the pit stop. After getting out ahead, Matt caught me up and I tried to defend but I think his brakes must have failed.

“I’m really pleased for the team but of course I’m gutted I didn’t win but it was still a good result for Vauxhall.”

Victory in the Hilton Independents Cup went to Gavin Pyper, after a problem for Rob Collard saw him forced to make a second pitstop and finish the race with a problem at the rear end of the car: “We were running very well in the early parts of the race, leading the Independents Cup and running at the front with the works cars. The pitstop itself went very well but when I came out, it felt like we had something loose on the car because it was wandering all over the straight. It was very nervous – I thought perhaps a wheelnut was loose. We stayed out for a couple of laps and it felt like a puncture so I came in and we changed a rear tyre, only to find it wasn’t that and we just had to continue as we were and bring the car home where we could.

I was running fifth before the pitstop and everything was going great. We’ve done really well as a team today – I’m really pleased.”

In the Production class, Michael Bentwood won a race-long battle with Luke Hines to take victory in his BMW 320i. Paul Wallace was third, ahead of Alan Blencowe and Jim Edwards, who suffered from a misfire. Edwards’ team-mate, Tom Boardman, retired to the pits mid-way through the race with engine problems.