Dan Eaves won the first of Sunday's three Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship races at Thruxton, Hampshire.

Eaves, in his Team Halfords Honda, passed SEAT driver Jason Plato in the closing stages to win in front of a huge crowd.

Third, closing on Plato, was Eaves’ team-mate Matt Neal who extended his championship lead heading into the second of this afternoon’s three races. Neal’s closest championship rival Yvan Muller came in a distant sixth.

Tom Chilton led the first half of the race in the Arena team’s Honda but needed a pit stop to change a tyre.