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00:00Well, the 15-lap sprint race starts us off.
00:16The cars will be coming onto the grid very shortly.
00:18Start in about 10 minutes time here at Donington.
00:20And the main feature race of the afternoon will have that live at around about 4 o'clock.
00:24But alongside the Mitsubishi, it certainly has its appeal,
00:26but it can't match the adrenaline of a grid ahead of an important motor race.
00:30And this 17th round of the Autotrader British Touring Car Championship
00:33is important given the lack of daylight in the championship standings.
00:37The championship leader, Alain Meunier, he's back on row three.
00:40So this is a big opportunity for Anthony Reid, his former teammate,
00:43to try to close that 14-point gap at the top.
00:46He starts on the front row, but the man on pole position,
00:48if we can go around here to meet Gabriele Tarquini,
00:51former champion, and right back to something like his old form in the Honda Accord.
00:57And Gabriele is on pole for both today's races.
01:00And what has brought about, Gabriele, this return to form?
01:04Yeah, I like very much this track.
01:07And also on the previous race in Donington, I was really good in race.
01:11It was my first podium, so I enjoy this track.
01:14And you've gone well in testing as well.
01:16You must be very happy with the way the Honda is set up.
01:18Yeah, it's true. I'm on the best position for both races.
01:22This is really important because overtaking is always very difficult,
01:27so I'm very happy.
01:29And you've won once already this season, winning from pole position at Knock Hill.
01:32Alongside you today, you've got Anthony Reid, who's so desperately hungry for a win.
01:37Tell us about the first couple of corners and the first couple of laps.
01:41It will be very hard, like usual, because I think the level of the car are very, very close.
01:49So I think the difference between the first car and the tenth car will be two tenths per lap.
01:54So it's really important to take first position from the first corner.
01:59I think it gives me a 40% chance to win.
02:03Very evenly matched grid. You've got the experience coming from pole position.
02:07Good luck, Gabriele. Let's move across this front row to meet Anthony Reid,
02:10who's shown such consistent form all the way through this championship season
02:14in order to keep in touch with the championship leaders.
02:17But amazingly, despite his third place in the championship, yet to win this season.
02:21Anthony, now how much of a barrier is that becoming?
02:24Well, I hope not too much of a barrier.
02:26I mean, I've excelled myself this weekend.
02:29I've qualified better than I've ever qualified so far this year.
02:32I've also proved last year, two years ago, that I won more races than any other driver,
02:37but I didn't win the championship.
02:39So, you know, you don't necessarily have to win to be up at the sharp end.
02:42But this weekend represents a really good opportunity with the Ford to get out there
02:46and score my first, you know, duck, my first win.
02:49So that's what I'm looking forward to.
02:51And this race in particular, an enormous opportunity.
02:53Yes. Yeah. Live race, big crowd, very exciting and very competitive.
02:58The championship's really unfolding, and I've got a big opportunity this weekend.
03:02And you've got a very experienced man alongside you on the front row.
03:05Tell us about the first few corners, maybe the run down to the old hairpin.
03:09What sort of determination and aggression might we be seeing from you?
03:12Well, Gabriele is a very quick driver. He's got a flamboyant driving style.
03:16He can be a bit hot-headed, so I'm going to have to be a little bit careful.
03:20I'm not going to take any risks to win, but I think, you know,
03:22the Ford is fast enough at the moment to do the job for me.
03:26And we'll just see how the race unfolds.
03:28You'll be your usual calm, composed self, I'm sure.
03:30Good luck, Anthony. So championship pedigree here on the front row
03:33and also on the back row as well. We'll go all the way back and join Charlie Cox.
03:37Well, he might be coming second in the championship, but I can tell you for nothing,
03:40Ricard Rydell is stone motherless last for this race.
03:45Missed his slot in the one-shot showdown and is having to start off the back.
03:48How did it happen, Ricard?
03:50Well, it shouldn't really happen, of course, but we made a mistake.
03:52There were two Hondas in front of us and the team mistook the second Honda for the first one
03:58and we thought it was another Honda to go and we missed our slot, as you said,
04:02and we had to start last from the grid.
04:04Well, as a commentator, I can tell you I mix them up too sometimes.
04:07More importantly, got to put that behind you, what's the strategy starting off the back?
04:11Well, I've just talked to the Class B cars who are running a little bit slower than us
04:14and I'm going to try and go around the outside down to the first corner and see what happens, really.
04:19You can't really plan too much because every other car in front of you is just trying to do their job
04:24and trying to pass the cars in front, so I'll see where there's an opportunity
04:28and I'll try and overtake as many cars as possible in the first couple of laps.
04:31Well, good luck with it. Maybe you ought to do it with your eyes shut.
04:34Cheers. Well, as Ricard said, there are two classes of car here.
04:38Class A, Super Tourer, like his, and then Class B, which are your more showroom specification car,
04:43like this one here, the Peugeot driven by Lee Linford.
04:47His dad actually runs Peugeot Motorsports, so nice one, Lee, good drive.
04:51Mark Lemmer in the Honda.
04:53Mark's coming third in the Class B Championship.
04:55Now, here's something interesting. These Class B Nissans, there's Robert Collard
04:59and alongside him over here, Mark Norton.
05:02Now, Mark is usually not quite as quick as his teammate, Robert Collard,
05:05but in this one-shot showdown, which is done during drying weather, he out-qualified him,
05:09so that's pretty cool.
05:10Alan Morrison, he is leading the Class B Championship.
05:13That Peugeot is really the thing to beat. It either wins or breaks.
05:16Now, if it hangs together, it might do well.
05:18But in this race, he too has been out-qualified by James Kay.
05:22Now, welcome back, David Leslie.
05:24David back joining us in Class A touring cars.
05:27He's replacing Colin Blair in the independent Nissan.
05:30That's actually a car that David drove a couple of times last year.
05:33Now we're in the works cars, the Vauxhalls.
05:35Now, they really haven't qualified as well as they'd want.
05:38Jason Plato there, Ivan Muller are the quickest of the Vauxhalls.
05:41This was kind of their best opportunity to knock everybody off,
05:44especially Alan Menuh and pick up some points, but Vauxhall struggling here.
05:48Alan Menuh leading the championship, but he finds himself way back on the grid
05:52because he's carrying a lot of success ballast.
05:54Then the first of the Hondas, Tom Christensen alongside him,
05:58hiding under blankets trying to keep the car cool.
06:00That's James Thompson in there.
06:02Now, James is a lightning quick starter, remember?
06:04So he's really, really a guy to watch.
06:06And what a great qualify from Matt Neil.
06:09The independent Nissan, he's third quickest.
06:11He was actually second quickest for the bulk of this qualifying session
06:14and just at the end was knocked off by Anthony Reid.
06:17So watch for James Thompson, cracking starter,
06:19and also keep your eyes peeled for Matt Neil.
06:22Charlie, welcome to the sharp end of the grid.
06:24It is a fascinating grid, but seeing Ricard Rydell there on the back row,
06:28that's an extraordinary blunder, isn't it?
06:29Yeah, well, it does happen sometimes.
06:31At the one-shot showdown, you get one go only at getting your spot,
06:35and they're very rigid about it, and they literally mistook the car.
06:38And as I said to Ricard, I've done it as a commentator.
06:40It can happen.
06:41But paid a big price because he's second in the championship
06:44and could have done well here today.
06:45But the way this grid is mixed up,
06:47it's really credit to the handicapping system, the ballast system.
06:50Yeah, very much so because you see Anthony Reid on the front of the grid.
06:53He's really, really competitive now because he's got no ballast.
06:56The Fords are all very close.
06:57And Alain Menu with 40 kilos, boy, oh, boy, way back there.
07:00He's going to really, really have his work cut out.
07:02Anthony Reid so fired up for this first win.
07:05He's so desperate for that.
07:06Is that a positive thing or maybe a negative thing for Anthony?
07:08Well, it depends on who you're talking to.
07:10From our point of view, it's great.
07:11I mean, he's desperate and dangerous, really, isn't he?
07:13He's very, very fast.
07:14He's on the front row of the grid.
07:15This is the best chance he's got because Ricard is behind him on the back of the grid,
07:19and Alain's behind him as well.
07:20He's got to get a win, and he knows this is his best shot.
07:23Charlie, you've got to head to the commentary box.
07:25One of the great attractions of the British Touring Car Championship, supposedly,
07:28is the close relationship between these cars and normal road-going production cars.
07:32But how close is that relationship?
07:34Well, Charlie was part of a very interesting experiment yesterday evening.
07:39So, just how quick are these touring cars?
07:42Well, time to compare.
07:43Let's take the all-conquering Ford Mondeo, piloted by, well, the championship leader, Alain Meunier.
07:48We will pit that against the hottest Mondeo you can lay your hands on on the road,
07:52piloted by our own F1 ace, John Watson.
07:54And for me, well, I'll have something a little more modest.
08:05Oh!
08:24These guys are going to be hitting off pretty soon.
08:26I've got to get all the momentum I can.
08:34Oh, my God.
09:05Oh!
09:17God, I love this.
09:18Left foot brake, keep the revs up.
09:19I know they used to do this in Formula V.
09:22That's good.
09:23Oh, this is working.
09:24Come on, Waddy, where are you, sunshine?
09:35Oh!
09:44Now, there's a braking zone, which we might try about there.
09:49Second, yeah, I think so.
09:52You use lots of kerb.
09:53I think that's the way forward.
09:55Whoa, big time on the kerb.
09:57Run a bit wide.
10:00Now, I can just see Waddy in the distance.
10:02He's making up big ground on me here.
10:20This is like slow motion.
10:22Just slow motion.
10:33Ha!
10:41There he is.
10:43Oh, God, here comes Menu.
10:47Absolutely blew our doors off.
10:52Probably tells us more about the drivers and the cars,
10:54but it does give us a bit of an insight into the kind of power and performance
10:57we've got assembled on the grid here at Donington.
10:59For round 17 of the Autotrader British Touring Car Championship,
11:02and Charlie Cox is alongside John Watson.
11:06Now, Waddy, I reckon we actually would have done quite well there
11:09with our Mondeos and our Fiestas, respectively, on the back of the grid.
11:12I think we did a very good job, indeed.
11:14And really, Alain Menu, as stunning as he is,
11:16he's still got a little bit to learn from us.
11:18Yeah, indeed.
11:19I think he might actually have been studying the tapes overnight,
11:21learning our lines.
11:22Now, everybody's going to learn their lines around the circuit here
11:25because they're going to wander around the track,
11:27get some heat into the tyres.
11:28These are the warm-up laps, which are very important.
11:30Drivers having a look, although track conditions are ideal today.
11:33Beautiful day.
11:34Great day for racing.
11:35The only thing is that all the racing we have had previously,
11:37we've seen cars off the track, particularly up at McLean and up at Coppers.
11:42So I hope the track has been swept clear
11:44because there's an awful lot of gravel drag back onto the track
11:47when cars came back on.
11:49So drivers will use these two laps to keep an eye out
11:52for any little anomalies around the circuit.
11:54Well, as we demonstrated so effectively just a moment ago
11:57using the kerbs here is a real key,
11:59and in a lot of ways I think these touring cars are set up
12:02to be effective on the kerbs, aren't they, to be able to jump over them.
12:05And also it's a quicker way around the circuit.
12:07If you attack the kerb in a very positive manner,
12:09we saw Jason Clayton doing that in qualifying yesterday,
12:12getting in and really attacking the kerb,
12:14you can effectively make the circuit that little bit shorter,
12:16and consequently you can also make up time through the corner and on the exit.
12:22Now, these are very important opening couple of corners.
12:25We can see the cars coming down there.
12:27That old hairpin, by there the cars need to have sorted themselves out.
12:31As I mentioned at the start of this, Rydell is second in the championship.
12:34As you can see, Alan Menuh in the lead in the championship,
12:37and then Anthony Reid in third place.
12:39Anthony, as we know, desperate for a win,
12:41but he's still very, very much in the title hunt,
12:44quite close to his teammate.
12:45Ivan Muller, he's really, along with Jason Plato,
12:48they're the only pairing outside of Ford's
12:50that can really take the chase to Alan Menuh.
12:52Yes, and the battle between the Vauxhall drivers
12:54has been very much loaded in the favour of Ivan Muller,
12:57but Plato did a great job at Snedderton about three weeks ago.
13:00Now, here are the Hondas, Christensen, Tarquini and Thompson.
13:03Fair to say that it's just too difficult now for Honda to go for a win here.
13:08Matt Neal also would hope to have been further up the championship order,
13:11I think, than that as an independent, but not enough finishes.
13:15Then Vincent Rademacher, who's missed a couple of rounds
13:18just outside the top ten.
13:22Now, this is the hairpin, the chicane rather,
13:25coming down onto the back of the circuit.
13:27Those plastic posts there, which are designed to keep the cars off the kerb.
13:32I would be very surprised if all four of them are there at the close of play.
13:35Well, in fact, it was done at the Foggy Esses, in fact,
13:37during some of the support races,
13:38that drivers weren't even hitting those bollards,
13:40they were going behind them.
13:42And there we see them again.
13:43They were actually driving on the grass behind those.
13:45Now, that would probably incur a penalty,
13:47but it doesn't mean to say that somebody's not going to try it,
13:49particularly in the opening lap when traffic's very close together.
13:53Well, I tried it with you yesterday, to be honest,
13:56and it gave me a little bit of an advantage,
13:58but you still caught me in any case.
14:00Drivers now commencing their second warm-up lap.
14:02This is just to get heat in the tyres.
14:04It's quite a big issue with front-wheel drive cars,
14:06particularly to get heat in the rear tyres,
14:08which is why they get both laps.
14:09Yeah, it's strange to say a front-wheel drive car
14:12has a problem with rear-wheel grip,
14:14but that is the fact that when these cars are on tyres,
14:16they don't have tyre warmers any longer.
14:18They need heat in the front and in the rear
14:20to ensure that when they go into red gate the first time,
14:22put the brakes on, the back doesn't come out front.
14:26There's Gabriele Tarquini coming down through the bottom.
14:29As we know, he is our pole sitter.
14:31We just saw him and spoke to him.
14:33Anthony Reid alongside of him.
14:34Both of those guys to watch into the first corner.
14:37Matt Neal, the independent in the Nissan, in third.
14:39James Thompson, fourth, a lightning quick starter.
14:41Watch for him.
14:42His team-mate, Christensen, behind in fifth.
14:44Alan Menu, back in sixth, not where he wants to be.
14:46Then the gaggle of voxels.
14:48Ivan Muller, Jason Plato, Vincent Rademacher,
14:51and then David Leslie, who's joining us for the first time
14:54in the Nissan, inside the top ten.
14:58Ricard Rydel on the back of the grid.
15:00I think that big heave and a sigh there spoke volumes, Watty.
15:04This is going to be damage limitation for Ricard.
15:07Yeah, I mean, he couldn't have had a worse situation
15:09than qualifying mid.
15:10It was so basic to miss your slot time.
15:12But to get through those Class B cars,
15:14we've got more of them here today
15:15than we've had at any point during the year.
15:17They say they're going to keep out of his way into Red Gate,
15:19but it's difficult.
15:20They're involved in their own championship and their own race.
15:22And Ricard's just going to have to make the best
15:24of a really disappointing qualifying session.
15:26Well, the qualifying session was quite a mix-up in itself.
15:29You might have noticed when we saw the grid coming through there,
15:31there were some very big gaps in the times
15:33between all of these cars.
15:34And the reason for that was the one-shot showdown.
15:37Everyone does a lap on their own.
15:39And it was done in drying condition.
15:40The qualifying session started wet.
15:42By the end, it was dry.
15:43So rather than having a tenth or a hundredth separating the cars,
15:46we had full seconds, and it was a really mixed bag.
15:49And Gabriele Tarquini, he was the last driver
15:51to go out of the sink in that qualifying,
15:53took full advantage of it to get full position.
15:55This is one of my favourite views.
15:57Matt Neil, who is perhaps the tallest racing driver in the world,
16:00definitely the tallest in this championship by about a foot.
16:03And he sits so close to the wheel in his car.
16:05He almost looks as though he's going to tie his arms in a knot.
16:08But he's comfy.
16:09Yeah, he is. He's a very tall guy.
16:11He's the self-proclaimed Britain's most popular touring car driver.
16:14That's on his little website that he produces here at every race meeting.
16:17So nice one, Matt, calling yourself the most popular out there.
16:20Well, this guy might be France's most popular touring car driver,
16:23Ivan Muller, an absolute ace,
16:25especially when the condition gets slippery and wet.
16:28He's the quickest foxhole, but he's got some work to do.
16:31And he's got a pipe in the side of the helmet.
16:33That's bleeding cool air into the top of the helmet
16:35just to help keep the cells cool.
16:38It gets pretty heated out there in a touring car race.
16:41It's about to get a lot more heated in a second
16:43because they're forming up on the grid now.
16:45We can just see the Class B runners coming around the corner.
16:48Gabriele Tarquini on your left in the red Honda in pole position.
16:51He doesn't want to be sat on the grid for too long.
16:54In the yellow and blue Ford is Anthony Reid.
16:56In the red Nissan just behind Anthony Reid's Ford is Matt Neal.
17:01And on the right of your screen, second row, is James Thompson in the Honda.
17:04Watch for him, he's pretty quick.
17:06And behind him is the series leader, Alain Meunier.
17:10Now the green flag is waved at the back,
17:12so everyone should be happy about the start.
17:16Rebs are up, ready for a start.
17:20Wait for those greens, and they're away.
17:23Pretty good start by Tarquini.
17:25Jason Plato trying to move down the middle.
17:27Bumping and boring there between Ivan Muller and Alain Meunier
17:29in the middle of the field, but Tarquini is first through.
17:32Then Anthony Reid right behind him.
17:34He still holds his position.
17:35Then James Thompson, three abreast around red gate corner, though, for the midfield.
17:39And they all seem to have sorted themselves out.
17:41Jason Plato, a little bit of a loser there, lost a couple of spots.
17:44Then all the rest of them through for the first time.
17:48And then down into the craner curbs, into the old hairpin.
17:51Tarquini, Reid, Meal.
17:53Ivan Muller really making up some ground there.
17:55Top start from him.
17:56Yes, Rick Ardreidel also starting at the back of the grid.
17:59He's made his way past all the class B cars.
18:01He's right on the boot lid of David Leslie.
18:03We're going to battle for the remaining part of this race.
18:05A bit of a sideways slide there for Gabriele Tarquini in the McLean's corner.
18:09Those rear tyres maybe not hot enough.
18:11We see Anthony Reid just fainting to the left there,
18:13just to cover the line with Matthew behind him.
18:15Then it's Thompson, then Muller, then Alain Meunier.
18:17And somebody's off, and that's Gabriele Tarquini.
18:19I don't believe it.
18:20Tarquini has gone wide up at Coppers, slid straight off.
18:24Nightmare.
18:25Unbelievable.
18:26We saw him sliding in McLean's, but he got it really wrong this time at Coppers.
18:29And I was just going to say, the first three cars are the first three cars
18:32that aren't carrying any weight.
18:34But it's all for nothing for Tarquini in Coppers.
18:36Well, he's carrying weight now.
18:38He's got a belly full of gravel.
18:39The whole car will be absolutely full underneath.
18:41Talk about snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
18:44And this is exactly what Reid wants.
18:46Meantime, here, we've got Ricard Rydell sliding down the inside of David Leslie.
18:50David Leslie and Tarquini behind him.
18:52That's another spot for Rydell.
18:54He's on a charge.
18:55Back up the front, that's Anthony Reid.
18:56Matt Neal, the independent, of course, is in second position now
18:59as they round Goddard's corner.
19:01Down onto the straight that takes them past the start-finish line.
19:03That's Jason Plato and the Vauxhall getting pushed a little bit wide.
19:07Brilliant, brilliant stuff there.
19:09And Christensen's car, you can see the guard and the bumper
19:12are against the left front wheel, so contact somewhere,
19:14probably between those two Vauxhalls at Plato and Muller.
19:17Yeah, I guess that might have been the melee at the start of the race, John.
19:20But there's quite a lot of damage there.
19:21If that's rubbing the tyre enough, that will be the end of it.
19:23Now, this is quite a scrap because Tarquini, at the back of the field,
19:26has muscled his way back past Ricard Rydell again.
19:29Now, there's the wounded Christensen car.
19:31He's going down into the old hairpin.
19:32That's a load on the front tyre there.
19:34Plato behind him, Rademacher behind him, and the two red Vauxhalls.
19:37They know he's wounded. They can sense blood in the water.
19:40Big sideways move there from Jason Plato, getting a little bit sideways,
19:43trying to slide past Christensen.
19:45Christensen's car, that's not going to last, is it?
19:47No, he's not. There's too much damage.
19:48That tyre eventually will get the outer edge of it.
19:51Part of it will get worn away, but Plato got the run up into Coppice.
19:54But can he get it done?
19:55Well, there's a Plato-eyes view of it on the inside.
19:57This is where Tarquini went off a lap ago.
19:59How close is that?
20:01Great shot of Christensen.
20:02Christensen's not going to move.
20:03He just heard Jason Plato bump into the rump on the edge of the track there,
20:07coming down into a braking zone.
20:08This is a passing spot under brakes.
20:10They've got a turn left. Can he sneak through?
20:12No, Christensen doesn't give up that easy, using the kerbs on the right.
20:17Absolutely, you feel as though you could reach out and touch that boot.
20:20Yeah, but the trouble is the Honda.
20:21Look at the horsepower that car's got.
20:23Plato is capable of running quicker in a lap,
20:25but he just can't get nowhere near the Honda.
20:27But now he can. A mistake from Christensen.
20:29Yeah, he's run a little bit deep there.
20:30Run a little bit deep.
20:31No, but he's fought back again.
20:32He got the run, I guess.
20:33Jason Plato has slowed himself up.
20:35Gabriele Tarquini, never say die.
20:37He's hung back, thought, I'll be a little bit boxy here.
20:39Slid down the inside and absolutely gives his teammate a hip and shoulder
20:44through Goddard's back onto the main straight.
20:46Jason Plato says, thank you very much, Honda.
20:48What a donation.
20:49And David Leslie also benefit from the contact.
20:52Two Honda drivers unnecessarily.
20:54Tarquini driving back up through the field.
20:56Look further up.
20:57We've got two cars going into the pits as well.
20:59We've got a Vauxhall and a Ford limping into the pit lane.
21:02That's Rademacher in.
21:04Very, very bad news early on.
21:05Meantime, side by side, down the crane of kerbs.
21:07Tarquini on the left.
21:09And right beside him, David Leslie in that independent white Nissan.
21:15Now, here's Al Emenu.
21:16He's a little bit on his own.
21:18I suppose he hopefully can pick up some places out of this.
21:21But so far, running unaided.
21:22Anthony Reid, meantime, is just starting to open up a little bit of a gap
21:25in that Ford.
21:26Matt Neal behind.
21:27James Thompson, third position.
21:29Evan Muller, fourth position.
21:30And it's Rydell in the pits.
21:32I just wondered, did he get involved in that contact?
21:34It got really, really tough between the two Hondas and Vauxhall.
21:37So, Rydell in.
21:38Right-hand tyre change.
21:39Let's have a look.
21:40Yeah, here's the view.
21:44Now, that was Rademacher.
21:45And that was a tap from Rydell pushing Rademacher deep.
21:49This is the view from Rydell's car.
21:51Maybe some wheel damage.
21:52Well, there's certainly damage to the car.
21:54Enough to bring Rydell.
21:55You can see he's off the pace.
21:56He's gone into the pits.
21:57Front wheels changed.
21:58Back out.
21:59But this race is a disaster for Riccio and Rydell.
22:01And nothing is improved.
22:02Well, I guess if it's a race to fail in, this is the one.
22:05Because he was only going to get points at best.
22:07But a very, very tricky spot, that Melbourne Loop.
22:12Now, there's Anthony Reid.
22:13He is our race leader in the Ford.
22:14Matt Neal in the independent Nissan in second place.
22:17There's Thompson, third place, running a little bit wide on the kerb.
22:19Behind him, Ivan Muller in fourth place in that red Vauxhall.
22:22You can just see him there.
22:24And then very close behind, Alain Menu in the Ford,
22:26just coming down the pit straight now.
22:28And Jason Plato in the Vauxhall is up into the top six.
22:31So, he has benefited a little bit from the troubles in the midfield.
22:34But it was a very tough couple of opening laps.
22:37It certainly was exciting when the two Hondas decided to have the same piece of road.
22:42Well, it's happened.
22:43He's finally succumbed to that damage.
22:45They're going to take the front splitter off the car.
22:47They're going to take certainly half of it off.
22:49And that will make the car even more difficult to drive.
22:51The car depends on that very much for front-end grip and the turn-in.
22:54But that's actually quite substantial damage, isn't it?
22:57It's not... It was more than a tap that he's had there.
22:59The bonnet's even kicked.
23:00Yeah, he's had a good old bite on the left front now.
23:03The tank tape goes on to hold that bumper and the splitter in place.
23:07Try and pull the back, the damage, a little bit of the guard away from the tyre.
23:10But it's all really for nothing.
23:12Kristiansen only can go out and just finish.
23:14He's not going to get any points.
23:15Well, here are a couple of boys that are desperate for some points and a win.
23:19And the man in your foreground, which is Anthony Reid in the yellow and blue Ford, is on target.
23:25That's the moment for a win.
23:26He hasn't had a win this year.
23:27He's third in the championship.
23:29And courtesy of Gabriele Tarquini, throwing himself at the gravel on the opening lap,
23:34he has inherited the lead.
23:35Matt Neill still very much in touch in second place.
23:37This is a storming drive.
23:38It's a very good drive.
23:39Matt Neill and the Nissan.
23:40That's an independent car.
23:42And he's also now won the Michelin Cup for Independence,
23:44because Colin Blair's withdrawn from the championship.
23:46So here's our first champion of the year 2000.
23:51Rydell's back again.
23:52This is a morning or an afternoon to forget so far.
23:57I don't know what the problem could be, but I guess they might as well check it, Tom.
24:00I think they're going to have a look at the car.
24:01They do want to check it.
24:02I'm sure that Rydell will go back out again and make sure that the car is OK,
24:06because they've got to go back out again and race in three hours' time.
24:12Great gate corner.
24:14Streaking down the terrifying Cranor curves.
24:16Anthony Reid in the foreground, just starting to open up a gap now over Matt Neill behind him.
24:20Then James Thompson.
24:21Then Ivan Muller in the Vauxhall.
24:23Alain Meunier, the championship leader.
24:25Quite a distant, lonely driving fit.
24:27Then we've got Jason Plato, David Leslie making a return to touring cars
24:31in the independent white Nissan there.
24:33Having a great race, very much in the thick of it,
24:35with Gabriele Tarquini, who's left himself all that work to do.
24:38Yeah, I mean, Tarquini, coming up to this corner on the opening lap,
24:41just ran wide over the gravel, got it back on track,
24:44then got involved in a punch-up with his teammate Christensen,
24:47and still fighting down in eighth place.
24:49Well, there's Richard Rydell out of the car.
24:51He was just talking there to his engineer, Fred Joyce.
24:53Let's just put this one behind us and see what we can do for the afternoon.
24:58Down into the chicane.
25:01Reid in the Ford, using all the kerbs, still driving very, very hard,
25:05but he must sense by now he's starting to break the back of Matt Neill a little bit.
25:09Now, this is down into the Melbourne Loop, where we saw all the trouble.
25:11This is a very, very tight corner,
25:13the one I was talking to you about a moment ago, John Watson,
25:15and this is where Rydell had those difficulties running into Rademacher.
25:18Yeah, it's a funny corner.
25:19The entry to the corner sometimes isn't the correct line.
25:23You get a feeling for it one way, but the other way is the quick way around it.
25:26But all Anthony Reid now has got to do is just retain that second-last advantage
25:30over Matt Neill.
25:31He will then score his first victory of this season.
25:34It's been a long time coming.
25:36Anthony's been criticised for sometimes driving, let's say, over-enthusiastically,
25:40but when he's in the lead on his own, doing a great job.
25:43Well, he's got no one to hit, has he?
25:44Anthony Reid in the lead, Matt Neill second,
25:46James Thompson only 2.8 seconds back in third,
25:49Ivan Muller a further second back in fourth,
25:51El Emenu, series leader in fifth position.
25:55But there's Anthony Reid.
25:56This is exactly what he's been dreaming about for the entire championship,
26:00a clear track ahead of him, being able to set his own pace
26:03and, of course, this will have a profound impact on the championship points
26:07because he's only a couple of points behind Rydell
26:09and will definitely pass him if he finishes this race.
26:12Yeah, there's going to be 15 points available
26:14and whoever gets the quickest lap also will contribute,
26:17but it's certainly 15 points right now for Rydell.
26:20Sorry, 15 points for Reid, that would take him to 145.
26:24Emenu stays in fifth place.
26:26Well, the gap between Reid and Emenu is going to be very attainable
26:29in the feature race this afternoon.
26:31Here's 6th, 7th and 8th and that white Nissan is driven by David Leslie,
26:35Gabriele Tarquini.
26:36Well, he's seen the track from all views today,
26:39in the lead with no one in front of him for half a lap
26:41and now at the wrong end of the super-touring field,
26:44trying to get past David Leslie.
26:46I just wonder was any damage occurred during that incident with Christiansen and Tarquini.
26:51Tarquini was flying up until they got together
26:54and now he's struggling to find a way past David Leslie in the independent Nissan
26:58and I suspect that Tarquini will get out of the car and say,
27:01you know, maybe the steering, check the steering, check the suspension.
27:04It's not right.
27:05Yeah, it was quite a firm contact, wasn't it?
27:07And they are sort of teammates.
27:09I guess they're Honda cousins, if you like,
27:10because although they're both driving works Hondas,
27:12they're prepared by different teams.
27:15But even so, I'm sure there'll be a chat in the pits later on.
27:17There is Gabriele Tarquini ahead of him.
27:19David Leslie, Tarquini taking a very aggressive line there,
27:22hitting one of the bollards on the inside of the apex.
27:24You could see all the black tyre marks down the side of Tarquini's car
27:27where he gave that wet and dry sandpaper rub to his teammate Tom Christiansen.
27:31Down into Redgate Corner, trying to line up David Leslie.
27:35The car Leslie's driving was actually the car driven last year by the series champion,
27:40Laurent Aiello.
27:42So David Leslie ought to know his way around this car.
27:44Yeah, they had to do a lot of work on the car.
27:46It was involved in a shunt at Croft.
27:48It's been repaired, but also just by being out of the hands of the factory team,
27:52David brought along one of his last year's mechanics to help get that car sorted out.
27:56So, taking time to get there, but he is getting there.
27:59Now, talking about getting there, Adam Muller in that red Vauxhall
28:02is putting James Thompson in that red and white Honda under some serious pressure now.
28:07He seems to have really reeled him in.
28:09Anthony Reid in the lead, seems comfortable.
28:12Looks like he's got a stable gap.
28:14Then Matt Neil, but look, Thompson, Muller.
28:16Muller is getting closer and closer.
28:18This is encouraging for the Vauxhall.
28:20Well, Vauxhall had a pretty dire qualifying session.
28:23They were the slowest of the three factory teams.
28:25All three Vauxhalls at the back of that group of three teams.
28:28Well, here's the view from Muller, coming down into that Melbourne Loop.
28:34Here he's storming all the way through the gears.
28:36Now, let's watch for the power you were talking about.
28:38Back up the hill.
28:41You can just see how much the Honda pulls away.
28:43I know it's accelerating earlier, but it really does have an awful lot of grunt.
28:46Look, he's looking down the inside.
28:48If Adam Muller never say die, perhaps he's listening to us.
28:50He's decided to have a lunge, but in doing so, has not done himself any favours.
28:54You know, he was very late in the brakes.
28:55He overran the corner.
28:56Thompson took his normal line, braked at the normal point,
28:59and is back at where he was prior to going into Goddard's.
29:02Yeah, momentum is such a key.
29:03In fact, that's given James Thompson a little bit of breathing space,
29:06as you can see, his car, and now Muller.
29:08There are a few cars in it where only half a lap ago,
29:11Evan Muller was looking right up James Thompson's exhaust pipe.
29:15But I think just sometimes Muller does the unexpected,
29:17and, you know, that might have just put a little bit of a fright into Thompson.
29:20Try to unsettle Thompson, force him into making an unforced error.
29:23Well, of all the blokes you'd want following you,
29:25I think Evan Muller would be pretty much at the bottom of the list.
29:28He's quite a threatening fellow.
29:31Now, here's Plato.
29:33Slithering down the inside of Alan Menuh at the Melbourne Loop.
29:37On board with Jason.
29:38Menuh's around here somewhere.
29:41Takes the outside line and the spot.
29:43Yeah, he does a good pass.
29:44I mean, Jason Plato really, I think, this year has driven so much standing races,
29:47particularly when it comes to racing.
29:49And also, a dive down the inside, and Alan Menuh does not come easy or often.
29:54It doesn't actually compute.
29:55I know Alan Menuh is carrying ballast.
29:57But there's exposition.
29:58And look at the front.
29:59You're absolutely right.
30:00That is a bit of an explanation for you.
30:02That is Alan Menuh's Ford, and that's...
30:06Well, that looks like a case of cause and effect.
30:08Yes, indeed.
30:09It's body damage.
30:10I wonder whether the bonnet itself had just come loose.
30:12It has come loose, but it's come loose for a reason.
30:15Now, I don't know what Alan Menuh was nudged into,
30:17but that is not what he needs to keep his championship hopes alive.
30:20He needs that like a third armpit now.
30:22He started in the middle of the field in the first place,
30:24and this explains why he's drifting back.
30:26And all this is playing into the hands of Anthony Reid,
30:29who's leading this race, and arms scathed, arms damaged.
30:32Menuh's going to go into the pits with that damage, I suspect.
30:34Yeah, if he doesn't, he's likely to be back-flagged, I guess.
30:37Yeah, I think this depends on how much security that bonnet has.
30:40But, you know, when you get wind pressure up to 135 mph down past the straight,
30:44that could do a lot of damage.
30:46Well, he'll be looking the other way in case there is a black flag being held out for him.
30:50He has been flagged in any case.
30:53So, Anthony Reid, he better buy a luxury ticket on the way home.
30:56This day is getting better and better for him.
30:58All of his teammates, all of his threats are falling away.
31:01There's the lap board. Anthony Reid in the lead.
31:04Matt Nealon in Nissan in second.
31:06James Thompson, Honda, third.
31:07Muller, Vauxhall, fourth.
31:09Plato, Vauxhall, fifth.
31:11And David Leslie on his return.
31:13Independent Nissan up into sixth position.
31:15The key there is that only one Ford is in that top six.
31:18It's this man, Anthony Reid.
31:20There's Lee Linford in the old hairpin.
31:23Focusing moment, John. Sideways, sideways, across the grass.
31:26Yeah, I mean, he's done a very good job, basically, all weekend.
31:29And that's a fairly hairy, scary moment.
31:31The old hairpin is not somewhere I'd reckon to go off.
31:34But Matt Nealon, so a lot of damage to the front of that Nissan.
31:36And there is Muller really having a big look down the inside of James Thompson.
31:40Getting closer, you're right, the front of Matt Nealon.
31:42He looks as though he's been in an episode of Mad Max.
31:44Front of Matt Nealon's car, missing headlights, grille pushed in.
31:48I think you'll find he hit the back of Linford's Peugeot in the S's,
31:52just on the lap we've been watching.
31:54Linford's Peugeot will be even shorter.
31:56So Reid, Nealon, Thompson.
31:58Nealon still in second position.
32:00We have to wait to see whether this affects his performance at all.
32:04Now he's on board with Matt Nealon, and there's Linford.
32:08And there is, oh yes.
32:10Oh, and if the rear wheels came right off the ground,
32:12Lee Linford wondered, I thought, I'm not on a motorbike, am I?
32:15Well, as Alain Meunier, he's had that bonnet taped.
32:18He had to come into the pits.
32:19We knew that because he was black flagged.
32:21It was regarded as dangerous having a piece of body work
32:23waving around on the front of the car.
32:25Battle scarred, plenty of plaster, and he limps back out onto the field.
32:29Lee Linford, that will have been the surprise of a lifetime.
32:32Welcome to Touring Cars, Lee.
32:34Well, no one told him it was going to be that gentle, did they?
32:36Indeed. Well, it's very helpful.
32:38Well, in fact, look now, here's the problem.
32:40There's Matt Neal in that red Nissan in second position.
32:43James Thompson is really, really closing up on him,
32:45so this is impairing.
32:47The snub-nosed Nissan is not performing well.
32:49There's Mark Lemmer. He's in the Class B Honda Integra R.
32:52He moves over to let Muller come past.
32:54Here's Matt Neal in second. Here's James Thompson in third.
32:56And there is Ivan Muller in fourth place.
32:58Matt Neal is in trouble. Matt Neal is struggling.
33:00James Thompson is winching him in.
33:02Well, I thought this race was going to go into a little pattern,
33:05but it's suddenly evolving into an exciting battle for second place.
33:08Matt Neal under pressure from James Thompson.
33:10Now, we're on board with James Thompson.
33:11It is exciting, but it's not the sort of excitement that Matt Neal needs.
33:14Thompson now, through Goddard, back down the pit straight, third position.
33:18The quarry is right in front of us.
33:20We are on board with the Falcon, trying to catch him right now,
33:23down into red gate.
33:25Now, the performance of Neal's car, horsepower-wise, still looks all right.
33:28Maybe it's handling that's getting knocked around.
33:30Handling could be. Possibly cooling as well.
33:32The damage to the bonnet may affect the air flow into the radiator.
33:35But most of all, it will be down to the stewards to decide,
33:38is Matt Neal's car in a dangerous condition?
33:40Do we have to bring him in also to get that bonnet re-secured?
33:43Yeah, it looks pretty skew-iff, doesn't it, at the front end of it.
33:46It's not flapping at the moment, so he might get away with it.
33:49But Matt Neal was about to...
33:51About to, bad thing to say,
33:53could have banked the best result of his year so far.
33:57It's still hanging on to that potential best result of second position.
34:01But James Thompson, and all made of his,
34:03really starting to bring him under pressure.
34:05Now, Matt Neal just slides past the inside of Morrison,
34:08the Class B leader.
34:09Kay, the second Class B car in the purple and white Honda,
34:13right behind him.
34:15Now, on board with Neal,
34:16and you can see the new attitude of the front bonnet.
34:19That's really... That's got to be like driving a brick wall along.
34:21Well, not only that, you're never quite sure,
34:23is it going to stand still, or is it suddenly going to fly back?
34:26Either obscure you completely,
34:27or just fly off and get in the way of other cars behind.
34:30Well, we just went through the scene of the crime, if you like.
34:32That was where a couple of laps back he nerfed the back of Linford's car,
34:35down into the Melbourne Loop.
34:37Now, of course, James Thompson, who's trying to line up Neal,
34:39is being impaired a little bit,
34:41and as a result of that,
34:42Ivan Muller in that red and white Vauxhall is right on the bootlid.
34:45Cut on the inside, can he do it?
34:46No, but tough stuff from James.
34:48Yeah, I mean, Muller's driving the wheels off his Vauxhall,
34:50but he's just being let down by that little bit of horsepower.
34:53Thompson, in spite of being damaged in the corner,
34:56he's able to get the speed down the straight,
34:58and that's where it counts at Donington.
35:00Well, trying to carry that speed through the old hairpin,
35:02James Thompson stands on the gas and starts to pull away immediately
35:05as we drive up the back of the hill on board with Muller.
35:09Left-hander here, car's unbalanced.
35:11Now there's McLean's.
35:14Down a couple of gears.
35:17Back up and over the rise.
35:18Now, this rise is where Tarquini went up in lap one.
35:21You can see why the car gets very light there.
35:24Yeah, and also, it's a blind apex.
35:26You have to anticipate the turn in,
35:27and if you're not confident in the back,
35:29you can't make the turn.
35:30Consequently, you're off-line.
35:32You get onto the dirt and gravel on the outside.
35:34I think that's what happened to Tarquini.
35:36I drove off there into the gravel completely unassisted
35:38on my first-ever touring car race.
35:40It was so embarrassing.
35:43As were a couple of other episodes.
35:45Now, meantime, James Thompson is lining up ahead of us.
35:48We've got a bird's-eye view of this Matt Neill-Thompson battle.
35:51Matt Neill on the right, Thompson on the left.
35:53Muller trying to have a piece of this as well.
35:56Now, Thompson trying to switch back through the Melbourne Loop,
35:58trying to get alongside Matt Neill.
36:00Now, everyone's going to do a U-turn in a minute,
36:02side-by-side into Goddard's.
36:03It's a very hard left.
36:04This is going to be interesting.
36:06Muller's trying to capitalise.
36:07Ducks down the inside.
36:08There's Neill, there's Thompson.
36:10Oh, so close.
36:11The thing Muller must not do is get into contact again.
36:14He must use the track to his advantage.
36:16But you see Neill and Thompson battling for that second position.
36:19Muller could be the beneficiary.
36:21Now, Muller down the inside of Thompson again.
36:23Thompson just closes the door into Redgate.
36:25We saw Mark James there in that Honda
36:27trying to get out of the way anywhere,
36:29but be run over by this crazy trio.
36:31Back down the crane of kerbs again.
36:33Second place with a smash in the front, Matt Neill.
36:35Third place with a quite clean Honda, James Thompson.
36:38And Muller just trying to make some sense of this
36:40and capitalising on someone's mistake.
36:42He's stalking them.
36:43Meantime, Anthony Reid has just waltzed off into the distance.
36:46He's got a massive lead right now.
36:47It's 2.4 seconds.
36:49But all the fun is here in second place.
36:51And believe me, it's not finished.
36:52We're on lap 13 of 15.
36:54So it'll get closer before the finish.
36:56You've got three guys here.
36:59The pressure off.
37:00Matt Neill's able to drive now, really,
37:02with second place very much in mind.
37:04There's race leader.
37:05But he's gone.
37:06Matt Neill, pretty much, you might say,
37:08the most comfortable he's been all race in second place.
37:10I tell you what,
37:11Yvonne Muller just leapt to the lead
37:12of Matt Neill's Christmas card list.
37:14That is the hugest favour that Yvonne Muller could have done him.
37:18Just getting James Thompson off his pace,
37:20at least for a lap,
37:21give him a breathing space.
37:23Let's see if he can just hang on to that gap
37:25with the front of Muller's car.
37:26It's a little bit second hand now.
37:27It's been rearranged by so much contact.
37:30And I don't know whether or not Muller is close enough
37:32to try that manoeuvre one more time.
37:33Down into the Melbourne loop.
37:36Matt Neill is clear.
37:38And once again, Muller is right on the hammer
37:40of James Thompson.
37:42A half close down,
37:43and Matt Neill has closed the gap almost by over half.
37:45With one quarter to go,
37:46it's pretty much impossible.
37:47It would take a mistake from Matt Neill now
37:49to confirm him in second place.
37:51Yeah, I guess Muller's point of view,
37:53it was worth a try.
37:56Two Goddards.
37:57And around and down the start-finish line.
38:00What can he do?
38:01What can he do?
38:02This is the last lap.
38:03Thompson is closer to Neill than Muller is to Thompson.
38:06Thompson will be thinking to himself,
38:07how do I actually get a strike at this guy
38:09without Muller jumping on my back?
38:11But he's now got enough air between himself and Muller
38:14to enable him to have a look.
38:15Muller just dropping back that little bit,
38:17the pace of the two cars,
38:18the Nissan and the Honda,
38:19pulling away from the Vauxhall.
38:21And Thompson, for sure, for sure,
38:23I would think coming out of Coppice,
38:25down that long straight into the esses
38:27has got to be his best shot.
38:28Well, Matt Neill will be groaning,
38:30worrying about this car lasting the rest of the lap.
38:32I reckon Anthony Reid's in a spontaneous giggle by now.
38:35He'll be finding it difficult to control himself.
38:38Only half a lap to go
38:39to bank his first win.
38:41It's going to be the longest half lap
38:42of Matt Neill's career, I'm going to say,
38:45with James Thompson all over the back of him.
38:49He's not home and dry yet.
38:53Down the back straight.
38:55Reid's just got to stroke this home now.
38:57Matt Neill has to defend three more important corners.
39:01This is the first.
39:03Well, Thompson can't get it done here,
39:04so he's got a second chance at Melbourne.
39:06And if he prepares himself properly, it's possible.
39:09But watch out for Muller behind.
39:10Indeed, Matt Neill just fainting to the inside of the track.
39:13To cover this line, he's right on the inside.
39:15Thompson's going to try it around the outside.
39:17Muller's trying to tag on as well.
39:19Steady, Matt, just keep it smooth.
39:21Everyone's on the same exit, so he's protected.
39:23One more corner to go.
39:24One more corner for this man, Anthony Reid,
39:26to win his first touring car race of the year 2000.
39:32And he's going to do it.
39:33He can walk it from here.
39:34Anthony Reid in the Ford wins.
39:36And around come this trio of trouble.
39:38Matt Neill second, James Thompson third,
39:40and Ivan Muller fourth.
39:41What a race.
39:42Well, that last corner must have been very twitchy
39:44and nervous for Matt Neill,
39:45but what a great win for Anthony Reid.
39:46He's gone winless so far this season.
39:49Finally, he's got his first win
39:50in this year's Touring Car Championship,
39:52and he may well also have put himself
39:54into the lead of the championship.
39:55We just have to see where Alain Menud finally finishes.
39:58Yeah, my maths aren't that strong,
40:00but I sure as hell know it puts him in front
40:02of Richard Rydell.
40:03He was only a couple of points behind,
40:05very much in contention.
40:07And, of course, he drove such a copybook race,
40:09we never saw whether or not he was going to be able
40:12to muscle his way past Gabriele Tarquini,
40:14Gabriele making a sacrifice of himself on the first leg.
40:17Shooting the box, if you like,
40:19as far as that contest is concerned.
40:21But nevertheless, a good strong drive from Reid,
40:24who has pulled for the second race this afternoon.
40:26Or front row of the grid, rather,
40:27for the second race this afternoon.
40:29And there's a very happy team principal,
40:31Dave Richards, a pro driver,
40:33and, well, Dave not showing too much signs of emotion,
40:35but, you know, when you win so often,
40:37particularly in rallies,
40:38you get a bit to applause there, don't you?
40:40I'm sure he's dancing on the inside.
40:44Very, very strong drive from Anthony Reid.
40:46He's used the opportunity of having no success ballast.
40:49He had a rough time last race out,
40:51so his car is 40 kilos lighter than that of Alain Meunier.
40:54Meunier has got to carry that success ballast
40:56in both of the races today.
40:58There is your result.
41:00Reid, as we were just saying, wins for Ford.
41:03Matt Neal, top finish for him,
41:05the independent Nissan driver in second position,
41:07hangs on by his fingernails
41:09over James Thompson in third in the Honda.
41:11Ivan Muller, highly entertaining.
41:13Thank you for that, Ivan.
41:14Although I don't think James will be thanking you,
41:16but great dice between James Thompson and Ivan Muller.
41:19Jason Plato worked his way up to fifth position.
41:21Gabriele Tarquini clawed his way back up into sixth,
41:24going from lead to last to sixth.
41:26Busy afternoon for him.
41:27Yeah, I think Alain Meunier is eighth place,
41:29still enough to keep him just ahead on the championship,
41:31but he was very fortunate indeed,
41:33and Anthony Reid will be coming out of his car
41:35absolutely delighted to know
41:37that he can now challenge for the championship.
41:39This is the scrutineering in the penalty area.
41:42This is the scrutineering.
41:44There's Matt Neal, Nissan driver in second position,
41:46hangs on by his fingernails
41:48over James Thompson in third in the Honda.
41:54Just checking the weight of the car.
41:56They roll it up onto those scales
41:58to make sure that it actually complies with the minimum weight.
42:00Check the ride height at the front
42:02to make sure that no cheating's been involved aerodynamically.
42:05Matt Neal's car, they're going to have a job
42:07actually working out the aerodynamics of that.
42:09Yeah, I mean, how do you measure a car
42:10that's got so much damage around the front?
42:12Obviously, it can happen that a car could be totally legal
42:14when it starts, but because of contact on the circuit,
42:17that front spitter could be too low.
42:19Now, that would be deemed to be illegal,
42:21and so Matt Neal will be sitting there, fingers crossed,
42:23hoping that everything is fine,
42:25and his second place will stand.
42:27It wouldn't pass an MOT, would it?
42:29What a mess.
42:31Going to be a very, very busy afternoon
42:33in the garages this afternoon for the pit crews.
42:35Lots of damage on lots of the cars,
42:37Matt Neal only one of them.
42:39Christensen's car was hammered, you might remember.
42:41Vincent Rademacher had his door driven in
42:43by Ricard Rydell, who also retired.
42:46There's a bit of tarting up to do to Alain Meunier's car
42:48that was crunched in the front.
42:50Tarquini, who fell off at the start,
42:51is probably the only clean car there.
42:53But there's our winner.
42:56He'll be delighted, and I guess relieved, John.
42:58I think so. It's taken a long time.
43:00This man won so many races last,
43:02over the last two seasons with the Nissan,
43:04and he's been winless until this afternoon.
43:06And sometimes, you know, you begin to think,
43:08is it a conspiracy theory, or is it just something
43:10I can do something about?
43:12He did it here in qualifying,
43:13and he certainly did it in the race.
43:16That was Matt Neal just climbing out of the Nissan as well.
43:19His team will be absolutely delighted.
43:25Congratulations. That's the kind of race
43:27you must absolutely dream of.
43:28It's the sort of race I have been dreaming about
43:30over the last few weeks.
43:32Fantastic. You know, you just have to be patient sometimes.
43:34I knew I had the pace to win,
43:36and I thought this weekend was a good chance.
43:38But it was Gabriele Tarquini who got the start.
43:40What did you see of his exit at Coppice?
43:42Actually, you know, my start was slightly better,
43:44but I was a little eager to get ahead of him,
43:46and I got some wheelspin after we launched off the start line.
43:49But then, you know, Tarquini looked very ragged
43:52on the opening lap, and I couldn't believe it
43:54when he put a wheel on the grass at the exit at Coppice,
43:56which then allowed me to slingshot through.
43:59I wish it could happen like that every time.
44:01It not only closes the gap at the top of the championship,
44:03but it must give you enormous encouragement
44:05for the future race. You start from the front row again.
44:07Yeah, I mean, I tell you what, this Ford Mondeo
44:09is handling better than I've ever felt it this year.
44:12It's developed so well into a nice car.
44:14So we've got every opportunity, I think, in the second race,
44:17particularly with our pit crew who make fantastic pit stops.
44:20Well done, Anthony. Keep you going for the second race.
44:22We'll move to Matt Neal behind here,
44:25who was involved in so much excitement.
44:27And, Matt, you hung on to second place.
44:31It looked unlikely when you suffered this front-end damage
44:34running into Lee Linford.
44:35Yeah, I think we just, going into the chicane,
44:38I thought he'd maybe brake a little bit more and let me in.
44:40But first of all, I thought he'd hold Anthony up,
44:42and he didn't, unfortunately.
44:44And then I thought he'd go off the racing line,
44:47so I came out, just accelerated out,
44:49and there was nowhere to go.
44:52But fair play to Anthony.
44:53I thought, come the traffic, because he's blindingly fast,
44:57but he always makes mistakes, dare I say it.
45:00I thought, come to the traffic, he'll run into someone.
45:02But look, he runs into someone.
45:04But how did the handling of the car change after that incident?
45:07And you were under enormous pressure from James Thompson.
45:10Yeah, what it did is we got in some trunking to the brakes
45:12to keep them cool, because it's very hard on them around here.
45:14I think it just sandwiched it, or destroyed it, or whatever.
45:18And so I was just struggling a little bit with the brakes,
45:20and I adjusted the bias, and they came back.
45:23But Tommy was on a charge,
45:25and I was trying everything to keep him behind me,
45:28but he was fair play today.
45:30Well, he always is, actually.
45:31Mighty relieved to hang on to second.
45:33And James Thompson, well done, James.
45:37And for a while, it looked as if that third place was going to slip away.
45:40Yeah, that's right.
45:41I mean, obviously third place, carrying first of the cars with weight,
45:44and very pleased with that, particularly my 150th race.
45:47I didn't want a non-finish,
45:49but Ivan kept me occupied enough to take my eye off Matt.
45:53So that was interesting, a good, enjoyable race.
45:55You had that bit of a horsepower advantage,
45:57but how did you actually manage to keep Ivan at bay?
45:59Well, that's right, I mean, it's great.
46:00I mean, you know, the Honda, we've definitely got the best engine.
46:03Even with the weight on board,
46:04we could manage just to eke out enough down the straights
46:06to have a little, you know, buffer.
46:09And Ivan kept me occupied in the corners sometimes
46:12and stopped me from overtaking Matt.
46:14No recriminations. You enjoyed it, didn't you?
46:16No, I enjoyed it. No, that was good.
46:17I don't mind getting sideways, as long as I don't lose the place.
46:20It was good to watch. Well done.
46:21Third place, James Thompson. Matt Neal there in second.
46:24Anthony Reid, our race winner, our first race this afternoon.
46:27Of course, we're back for the feature race.
46:2830 laps coming. We're back live at around about four o'clock.