Old favourites Jason...

Old favourites Jason Plato and Matt Neal may have shared the spoils, but there was much to admire as the new-look Dunlop British Touring Car Championship roared into action at Brands Hatch last weekend.

Bowled over by his unexpected success, Neal admitted he was a little lost for words

Racing the well proven SEAT Leon, Plato’s double top in the opening two rounds was perhaps predictable. But Neal’s win in the brand new, virtually untested Honda Civic in race three came against all the odds.

And there were other encouraging performances from Vauxhall’s latest Vectra and the two top BMW outfits – all of which bodes well for the 27 rounds ahead.

Plato’s fast start has given him an early championship lead but, although thrilled with his points haul, the 39-year-old SEAT star knows he has a fight on his hands if he’s to lift his second BTCC title. “We said all along that getting off to a winning start would be crucial – we’ve managed that and it’s great. But those who said this was going to be a SEAT walkover can think again. The opposition is hot on our heels and they’ll get even closer. This is going to be a classic BTCC season,” he warned.

And no one is going to push Plato harder than his long-time nemesis Neal. Having only finished building its new Honda Civics in the days leading up to the opening rounds, little was expected from defending champion Team Halfords.

But Neal proved the new car’s potential by posting top five finishes in the first two races, and then caused a real shock by maximising the reverse grid format to win the third showdown. “It was a phenomenal effort by Matt’s team,” conceded Plato.

Bowled over by his unexpected success, Neal admitted he was a little lost for words. “I’m just speechless – I really don’t know what to say,” shrugged the Midlander. “This is just fantastic. To come away with a win against this level of competition is unbelievable. I can’t explain how hard the guys have worked to get the Civic ready, and this victory is a testament to all the early mornings and late nights everyone has put in just to get this car ready in time.

“The relief when I crossed the line inside the car was something else, and to come away second in the championship is beyond my wildest dreams. We know we have a lot of work to do between now and the next race at Rockingham, but this is a real shot in the arm and I’m very excited about the rest of the season.”

There were other notable performances at Brands, too. Team RAC’s Colin Turkington took a pair of second places to hold third spot in the Auto Express-backed championship, while fellow BMW driver Mat Jackson made the podium on his debut. Fabrizio Giovanardi and Tom Chilton also showed plenty of promise with top three finishes in Vauxhall’s latest Vectra. As Plato said, it’s clear we’re in for another cracking BTCC campaign. Roll on, Rockingham...