Neal scores debut win for Civic

Vauxhall’s Fabrizio Giovanardi started race three from pole position, thanks to SEAT Sport UK team boss Scott Dennis spun the number seven on the reverse grid wheel after the day’s seconded race.

Vauxhall’s Fabrizio Giovanardi started race three from pole However, Giovanardi was unable to make the most of starting at the front of the grid, and although his Vectra initially moved seemed to move away well, its wheels then spun and he failed to get moving sufficiently quickly to lead into Paddock Hill Bend. That honour went to the fast-starting Matt Neal, who propelled his team Halfords Honda Civic into the lead from the second row of the grid. Adam Jones and Colin Turkington also passed Giovanardi.

The safety car greeted the pack as they made their way round lap two, with John George going off at Mclaren on the opening lap. It caught the pack by surprise when the safety car stayed out for just one lap, and Matt Neal had a considerable lead when racing resumed.

Adam Jones continued his impressive first weekend in the SEAT Toledo Cupra, despite letting Neal escape at the restart. He was running second, ahead of Colin Turkington and Fabrizio Giovanardi. Jones came under increasing pressure from Turkington over the following laps, and eventually the BMW proved too strong and was able to take second spot. Not for long however, as Jones fought back to reclaim the position, also taking Fabrizio Giovanardi past the Team RAC car.

Colin Turkington’s race came to an early halt on lap nine, when he was punted into the gravel at Clearways by Darren Turner’s SEAT Leon. It was enough to bring the safety car out again, and also to see Turner excluded from the race results.

Four laps behind the safety car and Adam Jones did not make the same mistake twice, this time staying right with Matt Neal on the restart. But later that lap, Jones was himself under pressure, this time from Giovanardi. The Vectra was on the inside line through Clearways and carried that advantage right along the straight and into Paddock Hill Bend, where the Italian emerged ahead.

The next target for Giovanardi was Neal. He gave the Honda a gentle tap at Mclaren and followed very closely for several laps, but the Vectra did not quite have the pace to get past the new Halfords car.

Neal continued to lead from Giovanardi, with Darren Turner, Mat Jackson, Jason Plato and Adam Jones not far behind. The strongest performer in the closing stages was Mat Jackson in his family-run BMW. He first passed Darren Turner around the outside at Clearways, before going on to challenge Giovanardi.

At the front, Neal was able to hold on to take a first win for the new Civic, much to the delight of his Team Halfords crew. Giovanardi was second for Vauxhall, and Mat Jackson was third, just as in race one. However, this time he was able to keep the place. Unlike SEAT’s Darren Turner, who crossed the line fourth, but was later excluded, promoting teammate Jason Plato to fourth spot. Adam Jones rounded off a solid weekend in fifth, ahead of team RAC’s Tom Onslow-Cole, Tom Chilton in the second Vectra and Mike Jordan in the top-finishing BTCC specification machine. Motorbase Performance drivers Gareth Howell and Matt Allison rounded out the top ten.

Following the race, Matt Neal said, “I'm speechless, I really don't know what to say. This is just fantastic. The Honda Civic has had little development and Team Halfords has just wheeled it out and won. It shows the potential of the car and I'm really, really excited. It's a shot in the arm to get a win and I can't explain how hard the guys have worked to get it ready. We know we have a lot of work to do between now and Rockingham to get the pace in qualifying but we can go and have a few beers tonight. This is for the guys who have worked on the car, 100 per cent. Not only for them but for all our sponsors - we couldn't do it without them and it is great to pay them back like this.”