Halfords Yuasa Racing took an impressive one-two in the final BTCC race at Donington Park as Matt Neal became the sixth different winner from the six races contested so far this season.
Sam Tordoff maintained the lead from pole position and was joined by his West Surrey Racing team-mate Jack Goff on lap two as he slipped by Neal at the Esses. While the WSR duo initially scampered off into the sunset, both cars had to manage their Dunlop SportMaxx soft tyres for the duration of the contest.
Gordon Shedden's Honda Civic Type R was busy making a way through to fourth place as he then joined Neal in hounding down the BMWs.
It proved to be a race of two halves as the harder compound runners showed greater performance in the second period of the encounter.
Neal sliced past Goff at the Old Hairpin on lap ten and Shedden followed suit at Redgate on the following lap.
Although Tordoff desperately tried to look after his tyres it became clear he was helpless to stop the Honda charge. Neal's Civic Type R took eight tenths of a second out of the the Team JCT600 with GardX BMW on lap 13 and he was through one lap later after making a textbook move at McLeans - one of the triple champion's favourite hunting grounds.
Shedden produced a similar move on Tordoff, as he done to Goff at Redgate, and the Hondas were suddenly holding a comfortable one-two. Both streaked clear to take the chequered flag in unison and the BMWs of Tordoff and Rob Collard followed suit in third and fourth, with the latter also benefitting from the consistent performance of the hard tyre.
Similar battles played out up and down the order as the likes of Mat Jackson and Josh Cook produced strong openings on the soft compound, before spending the second half of the race falling down the order.
MG's Ashley Sutton stormed through to take fifth ahead of the fading Goff, whilst Aiden Moffat took an impressive seventh, and with it the Independents' win for Laser Tools Racing.
Rob Austin also showed his hand late to steal eighth in his Toyota Avensis, from Cook and the Pirtek-backed Ford of Andrew Jordan. Martin Depper won a pulsating battle to take 11th from Hunter Abbott by just 0.014s.
2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 6 – Donington Park
1 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing 19m 08.350s
2 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.222s
3 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +2.690s
4 Robert COLLARD (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +2.908s
5 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +4.142s
6 Jack GOFF (GBR) Team IHG Rewards Club +9.245s
7 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +9.379s
8 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +13.028s
9 Josh COOK (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +17.535s
10 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) Motorbase Performance +18.146s
11 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Eurotech Racing +18.275s
12 Hunter ABBOTT (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +18.289s
13 Michael EPPS (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +18.902s
14 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Motorbase Performance +19.572s
15 Aron SMITH (IRL) BKR +24.260s
16 Jason PLATO (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +24.796s
17 Chris SMILEY (GBR) TLC Racing +24.993s
18 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +25.204s
19 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +25.434s
20 Kelvin FLETCHER (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +28.111s
21 Stewart LINES (GBR) Maximum Motorsport +31.428s
22 Alex MARTIN (GBR) Dextra Racing +34.259s
23 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +38.970s
24 Daniel WELCH (GBR) Goodstone Racing +40.487s
25 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +2 laps
26 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmD Tuning.com 4 laps
27 Adam MORGAN (GBR) WIX Racing +11 laps
28 Warren SCOTT (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +12 laps
29 Jake HILL (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +14 laps
30 Mark HOWARD (GBR) BKR +15 laps
31 James COLE (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing DNS
