Honda's Matt Neal completed a memorable afternoon for the Japanese marque as the triple champion claimed the second victory for the new Civic Type R, following team-mate Gordon Shedden's thrilling race two win earlier in the day.

The finale got off to a dramatic start when Rob Collard's BMW was tapped into the gravel at Paddock Hill Bend, whilst a quartet of runners further down the field made contact at Druids. The first safety car of the season was immediately deployed as Josh Cook's Chevrolet and Warren Scott's VW were also forced into retirement.

Pole-sitter Rob Austin remained out front in his Exocet AlcoSense Audi but the two-time race winner couldn't shake off the attentions of Neal and the MG of the impressive Jack Goff. The top three pulled away following the restart as Sam Tordoff's kept a trail of cars behind him in fourth.

2013 champion Andrew Jordan was busy having his best showing of the day on his MG debut, as he scythed his way by Tom Ingram's Toyota and Tordoff's BMW to grab fourth on lap 15. Aron Smith was cutting his own similar ascent through the pack and eventually followed Jordan through and into fifth.

There would be changes aplenty in the top order, however, as race-leader Austin struggled for pace late on. Neal made his move on lap 21, and was immediately followed through by Goff at Paddock, as Austin was unable to withstand the race-long pressure. Jordan was soon upon the Audi too but a mistimed attack on the approach to Clearways led to contact, with both cars scampering across the gravel. Austin recovered and went on to claim fifth while Jordan retired in the pits with a puncture.

Goff kept Neal honest throughout and although they couldn't match the incredible closeness of the race two finish, the gap across the line of just 0.196s again went to show the ultra competitiveness of the BTCC.

Smith, Tordoff and Austin were next up on the timesheets while Ingram rounded off a solid opening day with a top six result. Adam Morgan's Mercedes took seventh ahead of the charging Andy Priaulx, who made the most of last corner contact between Dave Newsham's Chevrolet and Hunter Abbott's Audi to claim eighth.

Former champions Colin Turkington, Jason Plato and Shedden all endured disappointing results for differing reasons. Turkington spun his VW at Surtees and could only recover to finish 12th while his team-mate Plato had his storm through the field halted by a power steering problem. He was able to finish the race, albeit way down the order, while Shedden's Honda did not make the final classification after a mid-race pit stop to correct his own mechanical woes.

Click here for the full classification from race three. 

Gordon Shedden has sealed a sensational race two victory for Honda at Brands Hatch – by just 0.040s from WSR's Andy Priaulx – after long time leader Jason Plato hit late trouble.

Leading from the front, few could have predicted the drama to follow as Plato's VW led comfortably from the chasing pack. Shedden's all-new Civic Type R held second after squeezing by Priaulx on lap one and then past race one winner Rob Collard, whose car seemed to face similar performance troubles on the soft tyre that his team-mate had experienced in the season opener.

Shedden squabbled with Priaulx for much of the running, with reigning champion Colin Turkington also hanging on behind in the second Team BMR VW. Fellow stablemate Aron Smith had already been shuffled down the order after contact with MG's Jack Goff at Graham Hill Bend, in an incident which hampered both drivers.

Collard was busy falling through the order – eventually finishing outside the points paying positions – while WIX Racing's Adam Morgan was quietly making solid progress. Having started tenth on the grid the Lancastrian was up to fifth by mid-distance, with Andrew Jordan's MG and the impressive Speedworks Toyota of Tom Ingram tucked in behind.

WSR's Sam Tordoff was busy fending off Matt Neal's Honda, the latter of whom recovered from a wild ride through the gravel at Paddock.

With the race seemingly settled drama then struck leader Plato with just four laps to go. Approaching the ultra-fast and daunting Paddock Hill Bend his car careered off with what turned out to be a puncture. With Plato's race now over, Priaulx almost simultaneously attacked Shedden for what would now be for victory. Contact at McLaren's gave Priaulx a gap big enough to squeeze his BMW through on the way down to Paddock, but the Scot fought back immediately with a stellar move down the inside at Druids. Priaulx settled back into second to reevaluate his plan of attack, which was to come in dramatic circumstances.

The attack came on the last corner of the last lap as Priaulx took advantage while Shedden was passing a backmarker. A tin-top tap from the Guernseyman followed sending both cars side-by-side towards the finish line. With the collective crowd cheering it was Shedden who held on to take one of the most enthralling and closest ever BTCC victories.

Turkington took the first podium of his championship defence campaign while Morgan took an unlikely, yet well deserved, fourth place finish. The loudest roar came from the Honda camp, however, as the new Type R claimed victory in only its second outing.

"Wow! A first win for the Honda Civic Type R before it’s even in the showrooms," said Shedden. "We have a habit of building very fast cars at the last minute and winning first time out! It was an exciting race, I had a moment on the last lap with backmarkers which made it a photo finish, but you’ve only got to win by the tiniest of margins and they don’t come much smaller than that."

Priaulx responded, "I was just willing the car on to get to the line first after I got up the inside – it was fantastic fun! I thought I might just have got it but fair play to Gordon, it was a good fun, hard race. I saw the gap into Clearways – the Honda looked to be struggling mid-corner, but I’m still happy to be on the podium. I'm there at the front and that’s where we need to be, we are struggling with straight line speed though so we need to work on that, but with pole and a podium it’s been a great first day back in the BTCC."

Click here for the final classification for Round Two of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch. 

Rob Collard has won the opening round of the 2015 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship with a flawless performance in his WSR-run BMW at Brands Hatch. VW duo Aron Smith and Jason Plato finished second and third respectively.

Collard made a supreme getaway from fifth on the grid, blasting by the Team BMR trio of Smith, Plato and Colin Turkington by the time the impressive stream of tin-top machines reached Druids Hairpin for the first time.

Pole-sitter Andy Priaulx looked comfortable in the early stages, setting a series of fast lap times having chosen to run the Dunlop Sport Maxx soft tyres in the season curtain raiser. The Guernseyman began to struggle shortly after mid-distance, however, and he dropped to fourth in a blink of an eye.

Collard first squeezed by on the run to Paddock Hill Bend on lap 15, which led to Smith and Plato immediately pouncing before Priaulx could settle his car on the exit of the corner. Fourth quickly became seventh when the fast-starting Jack Goff slipped his MG through, taking Turkington and Gordon Shedden's all-new Honda Civic Type R with him.

Whilst the lead trio remained barely a second apart until the finish it was the scrap for fourth that provided the main entertainment in the closing stages. With the soft tyres on Goff's machine now hanging on to their performance, the young talent had to fend off the attentions of two illustrious title winners behind him. The MG 888 Racing driver hung on well while Turkington just kept fifth as both he and Shedden finished almost side-by-side as the chequered flag fell.

Priaulx had fallen to ninth by the finish after Andrew Jordan's MG and Matt Neal's Honda made relatively light work of the struggling BMW. Triple champion Neal had endured a wild start to the season after a coming together with WSR's Sam Tordoff on the opening lap, which both were lucky to get away with, whilst the Chevrolet of Dave Newsham completed a half spin in sympathy of the incident ahead of him. Tom Ingram completed the top ten order after recovering from a poor start.

Josh Cook enjoyed an impressive BTCC debut by scoring championship points in 13th and winning the Jack Sears Trophy, which this season is an all-out race for rookie drivers. All but one of the 26 starters finished in what was a clean and mechanically reliable contest.

Plato will start race two from pole position by virtue of setting the fastest lap. Priaulx will start alongside him and will look to bounce back after a challenging return bow in the BTCC.

Rob Collard said: "First blood is absolutely key in this championship – to go out and command a victory like that is a great feeling. Overtaking Andy felt good too – I know he’s my team-mate but overtaking a world champion is always going to feel pretty special! I’ve got the most experience in this car and went a different direction to the other guys on tyre choice and it’s definitely paid off. I could see Andy was struggling and had to make the move before I came under pressure from behind. Any victory in the BTCC is a big deal, it’s been an epic day for the Collard family so far [Rob's son won the earlier MSA Formula race]."

Aron Smith said: "It’s a great way to start the year – I wanted to be on the podium and we’ve achieved that. This championship is about scoring points, so I’m over the moon. I know it’s very early, but it has to start now. Being sensible is key – to be fair Rob drove well, he didn’t leave any gaps and I wasn’t going to risk making a gap in the first race of the year. These stealth VWs look awesome, so let’s keep them up the front!"

Jason Plato said: "It’s a great result for the team to start the year. Warren Scott [Team Principal] needs a great deal of praise, it’s ace to be involved. Our intent has been shown – the pace is in the car and we’ve got improvements to make. It was my game plan not to push too hard in the first few laps, get myself some room and then put in a lap time for race two grid position. That definitely worked and now we’re at the front for the next one."

Click here for the final classification of Round 1 of the 2015 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship from Brands Hatch.

Click here for the grid for Round 2 of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship. 

Three-time World Touring Car Champion Andy Priaulx has made an immediate impact on his return to the BTCC by claiming pole position for the season opener at Brands Hatch.

The West Surrey Racing driver set his fastest lap shortly after mid-session before a stoppage brought a halt to proceedings. Several drivers improved during a final ten minute shootout but couldn’t match the 48.411s pace set by Priaulx.

Aron Smith got the better of his illustrious Team BMR stablemates to take second, seeing off Jason Plato and Colin Turkington respectively – the latter of whom seemed to have his final flyer scuppered by traffic on the tight 1.2-mile Indy circuit.

The BMW trio of Sam Tordoff, Rob Collard and Priaulx initially held a 1-2-3 in the order but the VWs and Hondas soon entered the fray. It was Plato who first attacked for top spot but it was champion Turkington that set a time quick enough for provisional pole. Gordon Shedden joined the battle in the brand new Honda Civic Type R, running as high as third early on, although the squad’s challenge faded in the latter stages.

Collard held on to take fifth ahead of MG’s Jack Goff, who had endured an earlier spin. It had been a relatively low key day for the MG 888 Racing outfit but Goff’s late performance provided some relief for the reigning manufacturer champions. Team-mate Andrew Jordan, who had previously taken pole position in each of the last two season openers, could only manage tenth on his qualifying debut for the MG marque.

Shedden eventually took seventh with triple champion team-mate Matt Neal down in 11th. Sam Tordoff claimed eighth on his first BMW outing, making it three WSR cars in the top eight, whilst Tom Ingram completed an impressive day with ninth in the all-new Speedworks Toyota Avensis.

The mid-session stoppage was caused by Martin Depper’s Honda Civic, which had left the pitlane without one of its wheels correctly fitted. The Eurotech car trudged slowly towards Druids Hairpin before the wheel eventually came off, leaving the machine stranded close to the circuit. There were other off-track excursions for Dextra Racing’s Alex Martin and Power Maxed Racing’s Josh Cook, but both debutants recovered after trips through the gravel.

There was little doubting who would be grabbing the headlines, however, and that was Priaulx. Returning to the series following a 13-year hiatus, the Guernseyman now leads the championship for the first time in his career by virtue of the point awarded for pole position.

Andy Priaulx said: "I thought anything inside the top six would have been nice. We were taking nothing for granted – this is a top series but we’re happy to have made the most of it. I just went into the first qualifying session with a really good, positive feeling. I actually think we’re stronger in race trim, because the car in testing has lacked a little bit of maybe that ultimate one-lap pace. This is my first pole position for a long time and I’m absolutely delighted. That’s where I want to be. I think I’ve improved a lot as a driver over the last four years and now I feel that’s showing."

Aron Smith said: "I’m over the moon. This is the one qualifying session of the year that everyone really wants to come out on top in; everyone is on base weight and all things were equal. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous going into the session with the two big names alongside me, so to come out on top and to lay down a marker is something I’m really proud of. I’m feeling really good for tomorrow too. My race craft and race pace are really strong, so with a good set-up I’ll keep going in under the radar and surprising a few people. The hard part is done, we just need three good results tomorrow and we’ll see if we can be leading into turn one. Regardless we’ll do a good job."

Jason Plato said: "I’m having issues with power steering, and I honestly don’t know if we can get it sorted for tomorrow. It’s frustrating for me, but with my team hat on it’s been a really great session for the team. It’s a great debut for the new look Team BMR and that’s ace. We’ll try our best to put on a show tomorrow."

Colin Turkington said: "It’s a great result for me. First time with the Volkswagen, and I think we’re ideally placed. There were so many question marks in my head going into qualifying, and again for the first race tomorrow, but I think I’m in an ideal position and if I can tuck in behind the front row guys at the start, that will be perfect. Being on the second row always gives you a good chance for the race. I gave it 100 per cent, but the car is just a little bit tricky to drive for me at the moment; we’re still trying to tame it a bit more to my liking. It’s a work in progress, and we can only get faster from here."

Rob Collard said: "I’m really happy with that. To secure a top five position is good – I struggled a bit with qualifying last year but we’ve worked on it during testing to get the car just how I like it. The car is a bit easier to drive which is good with the mixed conditions today. If it’s a nice dry day tomorrow I think we’ll see people’s true pace. It’d be lovely to finish on the podium tomorrow – I like Brands Hatch and I’ve got a lot of support here this weekend so it would be great to get a result for them."

Click here for the final classification from the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship qualifying session at Brands Hatch.

Ride on board with Andy Priaulx as he takes pole position:

Reigning Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Champion Colin Turkington has fired out a warning ahead of qualifying by setting the quickest time in the final moments of Free Practice 2 at Brands Hatch.

The Ulsterman was languishing down the order for much of the session but produced a last gasp qualifying simulation run, which was good enough to pip WSR's Andy Prilaux and the sister VW of Aron Smith.

The 1-3-4 finish for VW was slightly marred when Team Boss Warren Scott crashed on the exit of Paddock Hill Bend late on.

Sam Tordoff confirmed the pace in WSR's BMW 125i M Sports by setting the fifth quickest time while Rob Collard claimed 11th in the third Bavarian machine.

Adam Morgan's promising pre-season performances have led many to suggest the Lancastrian could mount his own championship challenge and he completed the top six order in the WIX Racing Mercedes.

Jack Goff provided some respite for MG with seventh while Andrew Jordan continued to focus on race set-up for the manufacturer squad.

Gordon Shedden and Matt Neal were eighth and tenth respectively with the Exocet AlcoSense Audi of Rob Austin between the two Honda Civic Type Rs in ninth.

Click here for the full classification from FP2.