Muller and Thompson share good times at last

Yvan Muller and James Thompson shared the major spoils in rounds 13 and 14 of the British Touring Car Champ-ionship at Snetterton yesterday.

The Vauxhall Motorsport drivers had their challengers, but after a season when they have both run into a variety of problems, everything went their way this time and each took a win and a second place.

But the third title favourite Matt Neal had a dreadful time in the Egg Sport Vauxhall. He led both races, but finished neither thanks firstly to an engine failure when he started on pole position and, secondly, to a transmission problem.

It will be of little consolation to him that he managed to set the fastest time of the day in both races.

Thompson won the sprint race after an early fight with Neal, which was unresolved when Neal's engine let him down. Once Thompson had tiptoed over a super-slippery, oil-drenched part of the track, which caught out many others and brought the safety car out for the second time, he was away clear to a win.

Muller drove a fine opportunist's race for second place, making an excellent start from seventh on the grid and then picking off cars as they faltered or slid off ahead of him.

Then he had to fend off a determined, but unsuccessful, challenge from Andy Priaulx's third-placed Honda, that con-tinued a fine spell for Priaulx, who finished second at Croft two weeks ago

In the feature race, Neal again set the pace – his car unencumbered by the success ballast the series imposes on top finishers like Thompson and Muller.

Thompson had been second early on, but stalled after his compulsory pit-stop and lost track position to Muller.

Neal led again this time, but for the fourth race in a row retirement was his only reward and he has dropped to third place in the points – 21 behind Muller and 46 behind leader Thompson.

Muller kept his car running well to the end, as did Thompson, but both were well aware of the danger of punctures, which claimed Anthony Reid's MG while it was lying third and both Hondas – Priaulx and team-mate Alan Morrison had again been set for top finishes. Third eventually went to MG's Warren Hughes.

The Alfa Romeo driver Gavin Pyper and points-leading Honda man James Kaye took the BTC production class wins after two highly entertaining battles.