WORCESTERSHIRE’S Matt Neal leads the British Touring Car Championship after the first meeting despite not winning a race.
The three-time champion from Pershore’s Halfords Yuasa Racing used all his experience and guile to bag the most points with third, second and fifth-placed finishes.
Tom Ingram, Neal’s team-mate Gordon Shedden and Adam Morgan shared the spoils at Brands Hatch.
Speedworks Motorsport’s Ingram set a lap record in qualifying and backed up his pace with a lights-to-flag victory in the season opener.
Reigning champion Shedden, who was second in race one, inherited the lead and ultimately the win in the second contest.
Race three produced another lead change when Sam Tordoff had to give up top spot to the hard-charging Morgan, of WIX Racing.
Worcestershire’s Rob Austin, driving for Handy Motorsport, was 14th in the second race after starting from 30th on the grid and 11th in the final contest.
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