Matt Neal 2006 BTCC champion

Matt Neal has won the 2006 MSA Dunlop British Touring Car Championship by finishing in fourth in the first of three races at Silverstone. His nearest rival, Jason Plato, finished in eight. Colin Turkington, third in the standings, was second.

Race 1: Howell wins, Neal champion
Matt Neal is the new Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Champion.

Team Halfords Honda driver Neal finished the first of today’s three rounds at Silverstone in fourth position to provisionally put the title beyond the reach of his chief rivals Jason Plato and Colin Turkington.

Nearest challenger Plato could only finish eighth in his SEAT. Second place for Colin Turkington was not enough to keep him in the title hunt but he has now closed to within just five points of Plato for runners-up spot in the championship with this afternoon’s final two rounds still to go.

The race was won by Neal’s team-mate Gareth Howell ahead of Turkington and Vauxhall’s Tom Chilton. Completing the top six behind fourth-placed Neal were SEAT’s James Thompson and Team Halfords’ Gordon Shedden.

Neal becomes the first driver since 1987 to win the BTCC Drivers’ crown, the most coveted title in UK motor sport, for a second consecutive season.