Tom Chilton won twice and Jason Plato once in today’s (Sunday) three Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship races at Snetterton, Norfolk. In the title race, a pair of third place finishes helped Matt Neal increase his championship lead over closest challenger Yvan Muller. Likewise, Vauxhall has moved further clear of SEAT in the chase for the manufacturers’ crown as the BTCC now heads to the spectacular Scottish circuit of Knockhill in Fife on Sunday 28 August.

Chilton, driving the Arena Motorsports team’s Honda Civic, was in sensational form all weekend. He qualified on pole position for race one and led it all the way. The 20-year-old repeated the process in race two to ensure himself of a spectacular double.

Races one and two also ended with same top five finishing order. Team Halfords Honda Integra team-mates Dan Eaves and Neal were second and third, with Muller fourth in his Vauxhall Astra Sport Hatch and Rob Collard, in the WSR team’s MG ZS, fifth. Neal set the fastest lap time in both races and the first he achieved was a new record.

Behind, Plato, who had retired his SEAT Toledo Cupra in race one, finished tenth in race two to take pole position for race three, thanks to the top ten reversed grid rule. The 2001 BTCC champion needed no second invitation and, just like Chilton in races one and two, took full advantage of his starting position to romp to his second win of the season.

And it was a dream result for SEAT, for Plato’s team-mate James Pickford achieved his first BTCC podium position in second to give the Spanish manufacturer a 1-2 finish. Pickford had to fight hard for his position, though. In the closing stages he came under increasing pressure from Muller, Neal and Eaves but calmly held his nerve to the chequered flag. Muller, who set the race’s fastest lap time, took third, Neal fourth and Eaves fifth. Double race winner Chilton was seventh having started tenth.

As a result, Neal has slightly increased his championship lead over Muller from 13 to 16 points. There are now nine races to go – three at Knockhill followed by three more at Silverstone, Northamptonshire and then the season finale at Brands Hatch, Kent – with 15 points awarded for a win. Eaves remains third and Plato fourth. Vauxhall’s Colin Turkington, experiencing a difficult time at Snetterton after winning races in the most recent two rounds at Croft and Mondello Park, is fifth but coming under increasing pressure from Chilton who has now moved up to equal sixth with Collard.

Neal, who remains on course to win the BTCC title for the first time, said: “It was very important that I kept Yvan at bay this weekend. He’s closed a lot on me in the last few race meetings so I’m fairly happy to have outscored him at Snetterton. But Knockhill is next and it’s a track where I expect Vauxhall to be a bit stronger. It will be crucial to the outcome of the championship.”

Muller, the 2003 champion, added: “I am quite pleased with this weekend. Snetterton is a really fast circuit and I thought it would be more suited to the Honda. But Neal has only increased his lead by three more points and at Knockhill I think the Astra can be at least a match for the Halfords cars. There are still nine races to go – that’s almost a third of the season still – so there’s plenty of time to close up. I will push all the way.”

In the BTCC’s Manufacturers’ title race, Vauxhall has moved 14 points further ahead of SEAT, despite the latter’s 1-2 in race three, and the gap between them is now exactly 100 points.

Leading BTCC Points (provisional) after Snetterton:

1. Matt Neal, Team Halfords Honda Integra, 234

2. Yvan Muller, Vauxhall VX Racing Astra Sport Hatch, 218

3. Dan Eaves, Team Halfords Honda Integra, 207

4. Jason Plato, SEAT Sport UK Toledo Cupra, 152

5. Colin Turkington, Vauxhall VX Racing Astra Sport Hatch, 136

=6. Tom Chilton, Arena Motorsports Honda Civic, 119

=6. Rob Collard, WSR MG ZS, 119

8. James Pickford, SEAT Sport UK Toledo Cupra, 76

9. Luke Hines, SEAT Sport UK Toledo Cupra, 52

10. Gavin Smith, Vauxhall VX Racing Astra Sport Hatch, 48

Leading BTCC Manufacturers’ Points (provisional):

1. Vauxhall, 584

2. SEAT, 484