Matt Neal sealed a crucial pole position at Silverstone on Saturday afternoon, overcoming his title rivals to set the pace in qualifying. The Honda Racing driver's time of 59.131 seconds places him ahead of Mat Jackson on the grid for the opening race tomorrow morning, with team-mate Gordon Shedden completing the top three.
A dash for arguably the most important pole of the season ultimately turned out in Neal's favour, with the two-time Champion producing the fastest effort of the weekend on his final flying lap. Behind the fastest three, James Nash kept his slim title hopes alive, with the Triple 8 driver narrowly eclipsing Alex MacDowall's fastest effort.
Tom Chilton and reigning Champion Jason Plato were next up in sixth and seventh respectively, the latter conceding well before the event that Silverstone was never going to be the perfect match for his Chevrolet Cruze. Andy Neate and Frank Wrathall filled the next two positions, while Tom Boardman rounded out the top ten.
Sunday's Race 1 begins at 11.45am local time (BST)
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Matt Neal
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| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  M. Neal | Honda Racing | 00:59.131 | 19 |
| 2. | M. Jackson | Airwaves | 00:59.166 | 20 |
| 3. | G. Shedden | Honda Racing | 00:59.265 | 22 |
| 4. | J. Nash | Triple Eight | 00:59.308 | 20 |
| 5. | A. MacDowall | Silverline | 00:59.362 | 17 |
| 6. | T. Chilton | Team Aon | 00:59.432 | 21 |
| 7. | J. Plato | Silverline | 00:59.507 | 18 |
| 8. | A. Neate | Team Aon | 00:59.533 | 22 |
| 9. | F. Wrathall | Dynojet | 00:59.605 | 22 |
| 10. | T. Boardman | Special Tuning | 00:59.635 | 11 |
| Full results | ||||
| Honda Racing Team | |
|---|---|
| 17 Oct '11 | Shedden hails ‘mega’ second place |
| 16 Oct '11 | Neal claims 2011 title as Chilton wins |
| 16 Oct '11 | Shedden boosts title hopes with victory |
| 16 Oct '11 | Neal wins opening race at Silverstone |
| BTCC: Silverstone Circuit 2011 | |
| 15 Oct '11 | Neal storms to pole at Silverstone |
| 15 Oct '11 | Jackson moves ahead in second practice |
| 15 Oct '11 | Chilton tops opening Silverstone practice |
| 14 Oct '11 | Nash: Airwaves won’t succeed in beating us |
| Matt Neal | |
| 14 Oct '11 | Neal preparing for ‘tough’ Silverstone finale |
| 13 Oct '11 | Harvey tips Neal for 2011 title glory |
| 13 Oct '11 | Tim Harvey’s preview to the BTCC shootout |
| 3 Oct '11 | Honda duo now focus on Drivers’ title |
| BTCC | |
| 30 Aug '12 | Calendar issued for 2013 season |
| 17 Aug '12 | Louise Goodman to race Mini at Knockhill |
| 5 Apr '12 | BTCC video: Multiple car pile-up at Brands |
| 19 Mar '12 | BTCC reveals 25-car entry list for 2012 |
| Matt Neal | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| More Matt Neal photos | |||
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