Brands Hatch BTCC: Matt Neal pips charging Gordon Shedden in finale

Despite both starting on the new soft tyre, which was expected to degrade, Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden came through to make amends for their problems earlier in the meeting.

Neal's Civic got away well from row two, crucially jumping the harder tyre-shod cars of Adam Morgan (Ciceley Toyota) and a slow-starting Sam Tordoff (works MG) to run second behind Mat Jackson's Motorbase Ford Focus.

Before he could make any further progress the safety car was brought out early when Dave Newsham lost his Speedworks Toyota Avensis at Paddock and clipped the unfortunate Rob Austin, causing the Audi to crash into the barriers. Both drivers escaped unharmed.

On the first lap of the restart Jackson ran wide at Druids and then appeared to hesitate, allowing Neal, Morgan and Jason Plato's MG to go by.

While Neal edged clear, Shedden was charging from the back after being excluded from race two.

The reigning champion forced his way by Jeff Smith (Eurotech Civic) just before half-distance to take sixth and soon closed on the pack fight for third, which was being slowed as Plato's soft rubber went off.

Tordoff and Shedden both overcame Andrew Jordan's Eurotech Honda and Plato, and then closed on Morgan.

With two laps to go Tordoff lunged Morgan at Clearways, allowing Shedden to get a run on both to snatch second.

He then rapidly closed on Neal and finished almost side-by-side with his triple champion team-mate.

Tordoff finished as the top hard-tyred runner in third, followed by Morgan, Plato and Jordan.

After an early off at the first corner, Colin Turkington again put on a recovery drive to come home ninth.

Having tracked David Nye (Welch Focus) for much of the race, Lea Wood's Vauxhall Vectra pounced in the closing stages to top the S2000 class and become the third different Jack Sears Trophy winner of the weekend.

Update: Wood loses S2000 class victory

Race 3 - 27 laps:

Pos  Driver            Team/Car                   Time/Gap
 1.  Matt Neal         Honda                    25m14.772s
 2.  Gordon Shedden    Honda                      + 0.083s
 3.  Sam Tordoff       MG                         + 1.216s
 4.  Adam Morgan       Ciceley Toyota             + 2.171s
 5.  Jason Plato       MG                         + 3.651s
 6.  Andrew Jordan     Eurotech Honda             + 4.727s
 7.  Jeff Smith        Eurotech Honda             + 6.026s
 8.  Frank Wrathall    Dynojet Toyota             + 6.430s
 9.  Colin Turkington  WSR BMW                    + 9.508s
10.  Mat Jackson       Motorbase Ford            + 10.133s
11.  Aron Smith        Motorbase Ford            + 10.611s
12.  Daniel Welch      Welch Proton              + 10.994s
13.  Nick Foster       WSR BMW                   + 19.150s
14.  Will Bratt        Austin Audi               + 25.176s
15.  Lea Wood          Wood Vauxhall*            + 27.179s
16.  Liam Griffin      Motorbase Ford*           + 28.485s
17.  Tom Onslow-Cole   HARD VW                   + 29.483s
18.  David Nye         Welch Ford*               + 30.192s
19.  Joe Girling       Finesse Chevrolet*        + 46.370s

Retirements:

     Rob Collard       WSR BMW                      5 laps
     Warren Scott      BMR SEAT*                    2 laps
     Dave Newsham      Speedworks Toyota             1 lap
     Rob Austin        Austin Audi                   1 lap
     James Cole        HARD Vauxhall                0 laps

Not classified:

     Jack Goff         HARD Vauxhall               20 laps

* S2000