Defending champions Team Halfords secured a hat-trick of podium finishes from the latest rounds of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season at Snetterton, including a third win is as many meetings for Gordon Shedden.

'Flash' took victory in the opening race of the weekend after Colin Turkington was excluded, while double BTCC champion Matt Neal was able to bounce back from a tough opening race to finish second in both race two and race three.

Matt remains third in the drivers' championship with Gordon one place behind, while Team Halfords sit third in the teams' championship in its first season with the all new Team Dynamics designed-and-built Honda Civic, the teams first machine running to the Super 2000 rules.

Race One:

Having qualified on the second row of the grid, Flash knew he needed to make a quick getaway to stay in touch with the fast-starting Team RAC BMWs and did exactly that to finish lap one right on the tail of second placed Colin Turkington. When Turkington took the lead from Tom Onslow-Cole on lap five, Shedden quickly followed him through at Russell to go second and remained in that position until the flag - pressurising Turkington throughout. However, after the race, Turkington was excluded from the results, giving Shedden his third win in as many meetings.

Team-mate Matt saw his race effectively end at the opening corner when contact with the SEAT of Jason Plato saw him spin to the back of the field and then pit with a puncture on the front left of his car. As a result he dropped off the lead lap and finished down in 18th place.

Race Two:

Gordon led the second race from pole position until the seventh lap when he was passed by Fabrizio Giovanardi, Mat Jackson and Tom Chilton in a matter of corners after being forced wide. However the Scot was in determined mood and quickly reclaimed third from Chilton at the final corner and repeated the feat a lap later to go back into second past Jackson. However, his hopes of securing a second win of the day ended when he was forced to retire during a Safety Car period when his Honda Civic developed a gear linkage problem.

Matt's tough opening race meant he started race two down in 18th place but he made up seven positions on the opening lap alone in his quest for points. The two-time champion continued to work his way through the pack until he was just shy of a podium place and moved into third when Flash was forced to retire. A move on Darren Turner on the final lap then allowed Matt to secure a brilliant second place from nearly the back of the grid.

Race Three:

In race three it was Gordon who had to work his way though the field from 15th on the grid, but once again the prowess of the Civic was in full evidence as he carved his way through the pack to take a solid fifth place.

Matt had been running in fifth place himself heading into the closing laps before an incident ahead involving Plato, Giovanardi and Jackson suddenly allowed him to jump up to second place - giving Team Halfords a podium finish from each of the three races.

Quotes:

Matt Neal: "Snetterton always throws up a curve ball and there has been a lot of hard racing today. Missing the points in race one was tough but then again, if things had been different there, then I might have got caught up in some of the incidents in the other races. Starting the second race in 18th, I thought it would be an uphill struggle, but two second places and a win for Flash is brilliant once again for Team Halfords.

"The Civic was a fantastic bit of kit this weekend but we are still learning with the car and it is getting faster and faster - long may that go on. The car we ran at Brands last time is nothing like the car we have now as we have changed so much, but I think the Honda Civic might be right at the sharp end there in a few weeks time."

Gordon Shedden: "I had some luck with Colin being excluded but its only a little bit considering the amount of bad luck I've had this season! I feel for him as his car was underweight by something probably equivalent to a bottle of water and it wouldn't have affected his car, but the rules are the rules - and I'm not going to turn down a win!

"The second race was tough and the car felt good with the ballast, and then we had a gear linkage problem that we'd never had before. It was important to get points from race three and 15th to fifth was a good effort as there weren't cars going off left, right and centre to gift me the places. I'm confident for Brands Hatch and I'm hoping that Brands, and the other two rounds still left, will be very strong for us."