Matt Neal took second place in round five of the Green Flag MSA British Touring Car Championship after a spirited drive back through the pack as a result of losing time during his pit stop.

Neal led for the first half and posted the fastest lap of the race at 1:19.152 on lap eight. He held off the chasing Muller, Thompson and O’Neill for several laps, only losing the advantage during his pit stop. On his return to the track he pushed really hard with fresh tyres and made up two places to move back into second.

In the closing few laps Neal kept the pressure on as he hunted down race leader Yvan Muller in an impressive charge. Neal actually got his Honda Civic Type R alongside Muller in the chicane on the final lap but, without risking contact and a possible penalty, there was no way he could get cleanly by and into the lead.

Neal’s team-mate Alan Morrison took fifth after some confusion with the timing lights on the start line. The Ulsterman was understandably furious after the race as neither he, nor the team, felt the mistake was Morrison’s. He received a drive-through penalty for allegedly jumping the start but charged back up through the pack to a creditable fifth.

Honda Racing’s 18-year-old Tom Chilton finished seventh after a big scrap with Colin Turkington in the closing stages. The youngster from Surrey kept his head down to put more than 15 seconds on Turkington before the chequered flag.

Matt Neal: ”The race was good but we needed just one more lap and I think we would have made the win. The race was lost in the pit stop. We were a full five seconds slower than Vauxhall, so we’ll have to put that right for race two. It’s a shame because the Honda Racing Civic Type R was the best package out there.”

Alan Morrison: “I’m really disappointed, the lights weren’t even on when I first looked up and that confused me. The team tried to dispute the decision but there was nothing we could do about it. It was a good drive back up to the top and I’ll be back with a vengeance in race two.”

Tom Chilton: “There were lots of things going on at the start. I had to avoid all the action and then spent four laps behind the safety car just making sure everything was OK with the engine, tyres and suspension. I had to pass a few cars on my way up through the field. When I caught Colin Turkington it took a few laps to get the better of him, but once I was passed I had the legs on him.”