Matt Neal holds off Jack Goff in Brands Hatch finale

Honda Racing Team’s Matt Neal held off the close attentions of Triple Eight Racing’s Jack Goff to become the third different winner at the Brands Hatch season opener.

Neal passed long-time leader Rob Austin on lap 21 to gain a lead he would never lose, and give the new Civic Type-R its second win of the day. But he was never given a second’s rest by Goff, who pressured him all the way and finished just 0.196 behind at the end.

The result means Neal and Goff are tied at the top of the championship standings on 37 points, with Neal ahead thanks to his win.

Behind the top two, Team BMR’s Aron Smith staged a spectacular charge to third from 12th, and is just a point off the series lead. West Surrey Racing’s Sam Tordoff was fourth ahead of polesitter Austin, while Tom Ingram netted his second top six finish of the day ahead of Adam Morgan.

Andy Priaulx, Dave Newsham and Hunter Abbott rounded out the top 10, with Abbott passing Priaulx at one stage but falling back behind him at the flag. Newsham’s result is the best to date for Power Maxed Racing.

It was a tough race for a number of the championship’s leading lights. As Austin took the lead at the start and Neal passed Goff, race one winner Rob Collard’s West Surrey Racing BMW 125i ended its race in the Paddock Hill gravel.

This triggered a six-lap safety car period during which race two winner Gordon Shedden pitted with technical troubles, while Power Maxed Racing’s Josh Cook and Team BMR’s Warren Scott also retired.

And once the action had restarted, Team BMR’s Turkington had a wild spin at Clearways and fell down the field, recovering to 12th. This was four spots ahead of team-mate Plato, who had made considerable progress from his enforced back row start but dropped back in the closing laps.

Back at the front, Austin gamely held off Neal until lap 21, when the Honda made its move at Paddock Hill, and Goff followed him through at Druids.

Jordan then tried his luck at Clearways but made contact with Austin, and immediately pitted with a puncture, dropping him out of the reckoning.

This left Neal and Goff battling ahead of the fast-closing Smith, but the three-time champion used all his experience to hang on to the win.