Photo: BTCC Media

Neal sets Croft practice pace

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Matt Neal set the fastest time of the day to head an action-packed second Dunlop British Touring Car practice session at Croft as the pace and the temperature hotted up. Reigning champion Neal, his Team Halfords Honda Civic having undergone an intense development programme since Thruxton, topped the times with a best lap in 1m26.379s.

That was exactly a quarter of a second (0.250s) ahead of his the next best time set by SEAT’s Darren Turner (1m26.629s). Third, underlining the strong form of the Halfords Honda, was Neal’s team-mate Gordon Shedden.

For the full session two times click on this link: http:/www.msttiming.com/meeting.asp?source=toca2006&event=72203.

The closing stages of the session proved plenty of entertainment – first, Fabrizio Giovanardi ran straight on off the track at Tower Bend while on a hot lap in his Vauxhall Vectra while chasing down championship rival Jason Plato’s SEAT.

Then Matt Allison’s wayward Motorbase Performance SEAT Toledo caused a heart-stopping moment for the following Shedden by ploughing through the gravel trap and back onto the track at Clervaux.

Local driver Simon Blanckley tore a front wheel arch from his Sibsport Honda Integra when it brushed the tyre marker stack at the chicane.

Finally, Jason Hughes brought the session to a premature end when he spun his Kartworld MG into the gravel at Clervaux – this just after he’d posted his best time of 1m27.532s to put him a stunning eighth overall.