BTCC 2000 - Donington - Race 2
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00:00In the sprint, by the time the cars got to where I'm standing right now, the outcome of the race was already decided.
00:07Alain Meunier came off the second row of the grid like a harpoon.
00:10He leapt past his teammates Rydel and Reed and was never headed.
00:14It was a start he said he dreamt about last night and it couldn't have worked better.
00:18Trouble is, of course, his teammates are ready for him now.
00:21The advantage he's got, though, is that this time he's on the front row of the grid alongside Rydel.
00:25He's not behind him.
00:27The works cars are all clustered together, flying in formation as they were in race one.
00:31But the difference, Watty, this time is that old Matt Neil is in front of the Vauxhalls rather than starting off the back of the grid.
00:37That should be great for some score, certainly.
00:40Will Matt Neil be the joker in the pack once again or are we going to take him seriously in this 36-lap feature race?
00:46Ricard Rydel, having given up that pole position, let victory go to Alain Meunier.
00:50He's got Meunier alongside him in the front row.
00:52Anthony Reed and Gabriele Tarquini in row two.
00:55And then it's a Honda row three with Tom Christensen and Peter Cox.
00:59Independent Matt Neil alongside Vincent Rademacher.
01:02And watch it, Matt, this time, please.
01:04There's a gap for Ivan Muller and teammate Jason Plato in row five.
01:08Colin Blair and Morrison in row six.
01:10Kay and Lemmer, they're teammates but in different Honda product.
01:14Row eight is Norton and Connor, teammates in John Bincliffe's Nissan team.
01:18And Ivan Muller, hopefully, with a clutch that operates this time.
01:21Rebs are up, watch for Muller coming through the pack and watch for Meunier as well.
01:24Can he repeat his jump?
01:26The lights are green and they're away.
01:27Rydel's moving away very, very smoothly.
01:29I don't think Meunier can do it this time.
01:31No, it's Rydel.
01:32Meunier right behind him.
01:33Anthony Reed really getting the squeeze.
01:35A swarm of Hondas all over him.
01:37Can he get through?
01:38Rydel's clean into red gate.
01:39Then it's Meunier.
01:40Anthony Reed's got a handful of problems but so far so good.
01:43You can see all those Hondas bumping and boring down the hill for the first time.
01:47That's the view from Peter Cox's car, the head of him, Christensen and Tarquini.
01:50Well, he's leading the feature race.
01:52That's more like it.
01:53That was in the script and that's what he wanted to happen.
01:55Down the back straight for the first time.
01:57Rydel, then Meunier, then Reed, then Tarquini.
02:01I'm sure we've been here before.
02:03Tarquini up there menacing the other Fords
02:05and there's Christensen coming under a bit of pressure there from his teammate Peter Cox.
02:09Debris flying all over the place.
02:11Plotting bullets into the first corner but they are through and across the line cleanly.
02:15Look at Tarquini really starting to harry that third Ford,
02:18the yellow Ford of Anthony Reed has got Tarquini all over him.
02:21Here's Ivan Muller, bird's eye view, just slipping in behind.
02:25Slipping in behind, that's Rademacher performing pirouettes for us in front.
02:29I don't think he was helped.
02:31Muller gets past Rademacher.
02:32Now it's Plato, his other teammate, ahead of him.
02:34Then it's the Hondas and finally the Fords.
02:36Well, this is not Ram's hat, that's for sure.
02:39I assume Rademacher just got so distracted in his rear vision mirror
02:42by the sight of Muller storming through the field, just moving up behind.
02:47Blair, the independent, there's Matt Neal, the lead independent now,
02:50right up in the thick of it.
02:51He's got Peter Cox in the Honda, dead ahead of him, up into McLean's.
02:56Jason Plato, with maybe some scores to settle in mind from race one,
03:00right behind Matt Neal in the first of the Vauxhalls, through Coppers' corner.
03:05That's where Ricard Guidel showed us the cars get a little bit light
03:08and then they have to work so hard to get the power on down the back straight.
03:11This is as close as you like.
03:12That's Christensen with a wide flash in the first of the Hondas.
03:15Then there's Peter Cox, then that's Matt Neal in shot now.
03:18Matt Neal, the leading independent Nissan, picking up the dust.
03:21Everybody is jumping very hard through there, Matt Neal really on it.
03:24Well, Matt's Nissan certainly has got the speed, it's certainly got the handling,
03:27but he didn't get the grid position.
03:29And once a penalty, he's going to have to drive all the way through the pit lane
03:32very slowly for jumping the start.
03:34Well, I think poor Peter Cox must be developing a complex about British touring car racing.
03:38First he loses his drive in the factory Honda, now he gets a drive-through penalty.
03:42What else can happen here this weekend?
03:44Well, at this rate, he could push his teammate off
03:46because Tom Christensen's right in front of him looking back
03:49and Peter is very, very close to him indeed.
03:51He's looking fast and threatening.
03:53Lost a little bit of time through Coppice compared to his teammate.
03:57He is close and Matt Neal is behind him.
03:59Peter Cox just fainting to the inside, letting his teammate know he'd like to get past.
04:04Can't think why really because he's going to do a drive-through penalty,
04:06but I suppose he can show he's strong.
04:08Is he in? Yes, there he goes.
04:10But for Matt Neal, well, there's one result he hadn't expected.
04:13One of the Hondas in the pit lane drives down through, back out into the field.
04:17So now it's Matt Neal and Christensen.
04:20And wasn't Cox's pit crew happy to see him?
04:23Real scowl on the face of them as he drove past.
04:25Now he's back on the power and back out.
04:27Incredible frustration.
04:30Got a clear track, I guess.
04:32Well, that's actually the positive.
04:34Now Jason Plato through the old hairpin and back up.
04:37And that's Jason Plato. What's he waving about?
04:39That's Matt Neal ahead of us.
04:41It's not Matt Neal ahead of us anymore. That's Muller.
04:44Well, I've never seen anything in my life quite like that.
04:47Jason Plato just seemed to pull over to the left,
04:49wave through Ivan Muller and his teammate to take a place.
04:52And what is going on in the Vauxhall team?
04:54Well, there's nothing wrong with Plato's car, it would appear.
04:56He's still going very hard. It doesn't look as though he's got a problem.
04:59Still ahead of Rademacher.
05:00Let's watch him down the back straight.
05:02That's Tom Christensen in the red and white Honda,
05:04followed by Matt Neal in the red Nissan.
05:07Red, definitely the colour for touring cars in the year 2000.
05:10And then behind them, Muller and Plato.
05:12Plato still very much in touch.
05:14Starting in the back row of the grid, a big handicap,
05:16but certainly being helped by his teammate.
05:18Well, here are a couple of teammates not really helping each other too much.
05:22That's James Kay and Mark Lemmer,
05:24two teammates in the pair of Class B Hondas.
05:26And we saw the gap between them
05:28and Alan Morrison in the leading Class B Peugeot.
05:30He's really, really opening it up already.
05:32Yeah, the Peugeot currently is the quickest of the Class B cars.
05:35Morrison trying to make it a double this weekend,
05:38having had a little over the top on the roof two weekends previous.
05:42The car looks pretty straight now, and it's powering up through Coppice Corner.
05:45Now here's Matt Neal, and he has not let go of that Honda.
05:51Christensen, Matt Neal.
05:52Neal is getting closer by the minute, up through Coppice Corner.
05:55He needs to get the power down early here and have a run.
05:57Good watch, Eban Muller.
05:59The Frenchman closes up to the back of the Nissan,
06:01and then it's on to the first of the Hondas.
06:04This is as close as you like.
06:07Down into braking zone now.
06:09Left, right.
06:10Christensen wheel perfect.
06:12Matt Neal is too.
06:13Muller is very agricultural.
06:15And Muller is so agricultural, he's in the pits.
06:17He's taking an early stop.
06:18Belts of smoke.
06:19That's it, like a turbo diesel, the way it gets into the pits.
06:22But that's the way they run these engines these days.
06:24They dump so much fuel in.
06:25But watch this pit stop.
06:26Remember, no tyre warmers.
06:30Do you want to come in now?
06:32No, not yet.
06:33Matt, you have to come in now.
06:35We're out of the pit lane for you.
06:37Well, that's the word.
06:38Matt Neal, he'll be off Christensen's tail in just a second
06:40because it's time for him to pit down into the chicane.
06:46He won't be trying to push too hard because he's not trying to get past.
06:49Christensen puts on the power.
06:50Matt Neal, hey, what's going on?
06:51He's supposed to pit.
06:52Well, he didn't hear the signal.
06:54If you look at Jason Plato, he dives into the pits,
06:56but Matt Neal went past.
06:58Either he was concentrating too deeply
07:00or he's got a problem with the onboard radio.
07:03What can they do for Plato?
07:055.12 seconds of the time.
07:07We saw 4.12.
07:08Absolutely stunning.
07:09I mean, the Vauxhall boys were good in the first stop,
07:11but Plato, 4.12 is magic.
07:14Now, that should make the difference, Waddy,
07:15because Plato was right behind Muller.
07:17When Muller pitted first, where is Muller?
07:19Here's Plato out of the pits.
07:20There's Muller.
07:21And that's the difference.
07:22That's the difference a second makes.
07:24That's the gap.
07:25Muller's behind again.
07:26Well, we saw Plato appear to pull over
07:28and let Muller go through once.
07:30Surely he's not going to do it twice.
07:31Matt, I told you to come in.
07:33We're out in the pit lane.
07:35We are out in the pit lane waiting for you.
07:38OK.
07:41Well, that's a problem,
07:42because not only is he in trouble for being late into the pits,
07:44that's his dad giving him what for on the radio.
07:47Well, it's a question of come in number nine,
07:48your time is up,
07:49and literally that time is up.
07:51You're only allowed to be on the pit lane for one minute.
07:54And I think Matt Neal's extended to...
07:57I think we've seen this before, Waddy.
07:59Once again with feeling,
08:00just in case you thought it was an accident,
08:02Muller slides through.
08:04Matt Neal locks up a break coming into the pits.
08:06There's the pit guys now waiting for...
08:08Where the hell have you been?
08:11So let's look at the Nissan team.
08:12They're doing left side only
08:13as opposed to the front from everybody else.
08:16Time, six-point feature,
08:17not the best we've seen this afternoon.
08:19But remember,
08:20he will also have to make a drive through.
08:22Lemmer class B, Tarquini class A
08:24just slipping past him up into McLean's corner.
08:26This is a critical part of the race now,
08:28because we've got our race leaders
08:29and they are lapping the leaders in class B.
08:32Up over Copper's corner now.
08:34That's James Kay just to the left of us
08:36in the class B Honda Accord.
08:38Very good manners, making room for everybody.
08:40We are on board with Gabriele Tarquini.
08:42Kay moves so far to the left,
08:43he actually kicks up some dust.
08:45So that's Rydell right in front of us,
08:47Menuh right behind him,
08:48Reid right behind him,
08:49and then Tarquini,
08:50which is a Honda get to pit.
08:52So that's one, two, three, four in race order.
08:54And that was Anthony Reid running very wide.
08:56That's why he's pitting.
08:57And Reid dived in at the last possible moment
08:59as quickly as he could.
09:01But all these cars now making the pit stops,
09:03and the class B cars don't make pit stops.
09:07This is an important time,
09:08because Reid's coming in.
09:09Christensen we saw in the Honda
09:10coming in at the same time.
09:11Watch for them.
09:13Reid on top of the times.
09:14Christensen below.
09:15We've seen 4.12, 4.36 for Reid.
09:185.72 for Christensen.
09:20Honda losing out to the Ford in the pit stops.
09:23And look where Reid comes in.
09:24He's behind Peter Cox.
09:25Well, Reid, he'd want to be quick in his pit stop.
09:27I watched him last night practicing.
09:29He was the driver the pit crew were using.
09:31Now, that's the Honda team,
09:32and they are squinting,
09:33because they are worried about
09:34where Christensen's coming up,
09:35because there are the two Vauxhalls
09:36he was running with.
09:37And that's Jason Plato and Ivan Muller
09:39giving Christensen an absolute work over.
09:42Talk about a red mist.
09:43It's a red mist of Vauxhalls.
09:45Cold front tires on the Honda.
09:46Red hot tires on the two Vauxhalls.
09:48And this is a battle all the way down
09:50into the old Haban at Donington.
09:52Can he hold them off?
09:53Can he what?
09:54Ivan Muller slides straight through on the inside.
09:56Jason Plato says,
09:57Thanks very much.
09:58I'm with you.
09:59Side by side up through the old hairpin.
10:01Side by side towards McLean's.
10:03This is a left-hander.
10:04Schwantz curves.
10:05Still side by side.
10:06Now we've got a right-hander.
10:07McLean's.
10:08Something's got to give here.
10:09That's Plato on the inside,
10:10and he shovels Christensen
10:11straight into the door,
10:12and Christensen's off.
10:13How do you call it, boss?
10:15He wasn't far enough forward.
10:17Christensen on cold tires.
10:18Had to turn in.
10:19And the consequence we've just seen
10:21have paid Christensen the point.
10:22What a save.
10:23The save of the century.
10:24That car was so sideways.
10:26Stood on the power.
10:27Here's another look.
10:28There you can see Plato tags the Honda
10:30in the driver's door.
10:31Plato had to take advantage of his tires
10:33being that bit warmer than Christensen.
10:35But what a fantastic save from the Dane.
10:41There it is in all its glory.
10:43A moment to savor.
10:45Brilliant driving by the Dane.
10:47With a front-wheel drive car,
10:48you have to stand on the accelerator
10:50to stop it spinning
10:51rather than lift off the gas.
10:52And was he cool.
10:54Up into the same place again.
10:57McLean's corner.
10:58With our race leader now,
10:59Richard Rydell.
11:00Remember him?
11:01He's in the Ford,
11:02and he's been out in front forever.
11:03The bloke right behind him,
11:04that's Alain Menu.
11:05He's been in second place for ages as well.
11:06And Tarquini,
11:07don't forget him either,
11:08in the Honda,
11:09right in touch with this leading group
11:10all the way through.
11:12Vincent Rademacher in.
11:13Well, he's been in once for tires.
11:15I can't believe it's a second stop for tires.
11:17The Belgian champion's got a problem
11:19around the front of the car.
11:20His afternoon is finished.
11:21And there's Reidon Cox.
11:22Reidon, the Ford,
11:23slams into the door of Peter Cox,
11:25and McLean's exactly in the same place
11:27that Christensen was hit a lap ago.
11:29I'd love to be a Honda door salesman.
11:31And Reid's showing all the vigor and youth
11:33of a man who's just turned his early 40s.
11:36Turning up through Coppers' corner
11:38and lifting the lid once again
11:39on Rademacher's car.
11:41It is not his afternoon.
11:42He's had a rotten weekend.
11:43Didn't start where he wanted to.
11:45They're looking at the steering, actually,
11:46more than the engine, aren't they?
11:47Yeah, there's something under the bonnet.
11:49Very deep down,
11:50the steering rack and all its associated suspension
11:53is hard to get at.
11:54There's Anthony Reid,
11:55who buried his nose deep down
11:56in the door of Peter Cox.
11:57Only a lap ago,
11:58muscled his way through.
11:59Very firm pass into McLean's corner.
12:01Now they're moving down the pit straight
12:02and into Redgate.
12:04Cox still in touch.
12:05Cox with a yellow stripe
12:06under his name on the window,
12:07meaning he has not pitted yet.
12:09Important to remember.
12:10Ah, here's Matt Neil.
12:11Hi, Matt.
12:12Nice to see you again.
12:13Matt's come through again to say hi
12:14because he forgot to come in early enough
12:16for his pit stop.
12:17That's his drive-through penalty.
12:18And what a great waste of a supercar
12:20and a team, really,
12:21that should be at the very front of a field
12:23here this afternoon.
12:24Great frustration for Matt Neil.
12:25Started on the back of the grid in Race 1
12:27and now that drive-through penalty
12:29has all but dashed.
12:30Any hope of a big finish this afternoon.
12:33Here's an important one, Watty.
12:34Riccardo Rydell.
12:35We've seen stunning stomps
12:36from Ford and Vauxhall this afternoon.
12:38Let's have a look.
12:395.32.
12:40Pretty much the average,
12:41but very important for Rydell
12:42to get that Ford back out on track
12:44as soon as possible.
12:45This one isn't going back on track.
12:47Straight into the garage.
12:48The race is over for Rademacher.
12:49Now, that makes two Fords, by my reckoning,
12:51that have pitted already,
12:52but it still means that Alain Meunier,
12:54the man on your screen there with Tarquini,
12:56right up his exhaust pipe,
12:57has yet to pit.
12:58These are our race leaders.
13:00In this lap, Alain.
13:01In this lap.
13:02In this lap.
13:03Please repeat.
13:04There's your confirmation.
13:05Got to pit this lap.
13:06And this is going to be a real battle
13:08between Honda and Ford.
13:09The gap between Meunier and Tarquini is...
13:11Well, there you see it on screen.
13:12It's half a second.
13:13So pit stops are crucial.
13:15Still ahead of Rydell.
13:18Rademacher out of his car
13:20after a rotten weekend.
13:22Where's the airport?
13:23That's what he's asking.
13:24I'm out of here.
13:25Now, down into the esses for the last time.
13:28Meunier, we heard on the radio,
13:30he is going to pit.
13:31Will Tarquini follow him through
13:32or lead the race?
13:33Meunier in.
13:34Tarquini now takes the lead.
13:36So let's watch Alain Meunier
13:37as he comes down at 40 miles an hour.
13:39It's indomitably long.
13:41And right at the very bottom of the pit lane,
13:42easy to get back onto track.
13:44But for Alain Meunier,
13:45a crucial stop here this afternoon.
13:47Ford's team have been brilliant.
13:48Clock starts.
13:49Front wheel's off.
13:50Back on again.
13:525.36.
13:54Oh, and listen to the wheelspin
13:55as he floors it.
13:56He does that to try and get as much temperature
13:58into those front tires
13:59as quickly as possible.
14:00Now, where's Rydell?
14:01There's Meunier.
14:02There's Rydell to the left.
14:03This is going to be close.
14:04This is going to be friendly.
14:05That tests the friendship.
14:07And Meunier just sneaks out in front of Rydell.
14:10Rydell trying to look at a way past down the hill.
14:13As you say, Meunier still on cold tires.
14:15This is going to be focusing
14:16through the crane of curves for the first time.
14:17Meunier cannot afford to lift off.
14:19Stands on the gas.
14:20Rydell says,
14:21I'll have a bit of this as well.
14:22Meunier's been held up.
14:23Rydell puts his nose down the inside.
14:24Shoulder to shoulder.
14:25Rydell doesn't get past.
14:26Picks up a bollard souvenir on the way through.
14:29No prize, but he does get the stick.
14:31Meunier absolutely desperate
14:33to stay ahead of his teammates.
14:34But in fact, he's been gifted one
14:35by Anthony Rydell driving into Ricard Rydell's door.
14:38I told you what,
14:39you could sell tickets to the debrief at Ford
14:41after this race.
14:42Absolutely fabulous.
14:43Rydell complaining about Meunier cutting him off
14:46and then breathing, driving his door in.
14:48Now, meantime, here's our race leader,
14:50Tarquini, into the pits.
14:52And it's this pit stop
14:53that's going to determine who will be leading.
14:55When this race comes to its conclusion,
14:57Tarquini dives into the Honda pits.
15:00Look how high that car has been jacked up.
15:02They must be losing maybe half a second.
15:04The time, 5.60.
15:05Wheels spin again.
15:06Get those front tires hot.
15:08Tarquini, 40 miles an hour down the pit lane.
15:10But will he be out in front of these three Fords?
15:12Here comes the pack.
15:13A swarm of wasps.
15:15Down the pit straight.
15:16Here comes Tarquini.
15:17Fords to the left.
15:18Tarquini to the right.
15:19Three under one.
15:20He's mad.
15:21Trying to merge.
15:22Two of them get past.
15:23Like trying to get back onto the M25 in peak hour.
15:25Can he get through?
15:26Third place.
15:27Now he's got it all to do again.
15:28Lost it in the pits.
15:29But it was so close.
15:30I mean, the difference in times,
15:32maybe tenths of seconds
15:33and simply just the momentum of the three Fords
15:35coming down pit straight
15:36were enough to get two of them ahead
15:38of Gabriele Tarquini.
15:39After a smoke from Tarquini,
15:41he's still going to have to deal with Anthony Reid.
15:43Anthony really lost out of all of that.
15:45And Peter Cox is in right behind them.
15:47Remember, Cox has had a drive-through,
15:49so he's not theoretically part of this action.
15:51Now, what can Tarquini do?
15:53He has been fast.
15:54We saw him pressing for the lead before,
15:56then taking the lead after Menuh's pit stop.
15:58There he is, our race leader.
16:00And there's Rydell right behind him.
16:02Tarquini in close.
16:03And there's Anthony Reid.
16:04Anthony Reid losing that marker off the bonnet
16:06just as he lost a position.
16:08After the pit stops.
16:12All the pit stops run,
16:13and the first four still as close as this.
16:16But the advantage really should fall to Gabriele Tarquini
16:19because Menuh and Rydell are still having to carry
16:21those weight penalties.
16:22And because of a terrible Brands hatch,
16:24Tarquini is still running at the weight limit.
16:28Down the pit straight again,
16:29you can actually see on the windscreens of the cars
16:32that are carrying weight,
16:33some white numbers.
16:34Here's Peter Cox pitting yet again.
16:36And again, just look how high up the Honda Jacks take the car.
16:39Interestingly, only Matt Neil has chosen to go
16:42for the left side only.
16:43Everybody else going for fronts.
16:45And there's a pit stop waiting to happen as well.
16:47That's Alan Morrison, the leading Class B driver.
16:49Something wrong with his bonnet.
16:51It's lifting up.
16:52As you can see, down the crane of kerbs going very quickly.
16:54A clip's undone there, I guess.
16:56And doesn't it remind you of your childhood dinky toys
16:59amongst these SuperTourers?
17:00It really looks out of place.
17:03It's taken Ford three years to get this Montejo
17:06to the point where it can run and win consistently.
17:09And certainly we're going to see a lot more of it this year.
17:12There's the black flag.
17:13That'll be for Morrison.
17:14That's rotten luck for Morrison.
17:16Alan leading Class B.
17:18And you can't see his Class B competitor coming.
17:21He's got a lead up the entire pit straight.
17:23But he's going to have to come in and have that bonnet rectified.
17:26The Peugeot 306 certainly is the class of the field of Class B.
17:29But look, the speed differential between Menuh and Morrison.
17:32It is a different world.
17:34Down through the cranes.
17:35Geronimo!
17:36Geronimo indeed.
17:37A really big bit of understeer there for Alan Menuh.
17:40Yeah, a bit of a tank slapper, really, Menuh.
17:42Look, and look at the commitment.
17:43I tell you, that is absolute.
17:45I tell you what, he might be leading the race,
17:47but that is a real compliment to Ricard Rydell,
17:50that Menuh, who is leading, and looks to be opening up a gap,
17:53is still driving the doors of that car.
17:55Very, very committed, Alan Menuh.
17:57I haven't seen him drive ever with such inspiration since his Renault days.
18:01Rydell is there.
18:02That's why he's really moving hard, Alan Menuh,
18:05because Rydell is right behind him.
18:06Rydell's got his own problems, though,
18:08because Gabriele Tarquini already starting to look for a way around.
18:11Down the back straight, trying to get in the draft.
18:14Yes, he's looking for a way as they come into this final chicane,
18:16but he's not close enough to make the dive down the inside.
18:20He's thinking about it, though, isn't he?
18:22He's got an itchy trigger finger.
18:23Will I fade now? Will I do it?
18:26Get a good run out now. Can he do it?
18:28Down the back straight.
18:29Across the start-finish line.
18:31This is working to Reed's advantage.
18:33Rydell moves across the cover, and there's Christensen through.
18:36Plato's going backwards here.
18:37Christensen moves on the inside.
18:39Dust everywhere, and Plato's down.
18:41Well, is he? Side by side down the pit straight.
18:43We've been here before with these two.
18:45It says Christensen is out here somewhere.
18:47He's just to our right.
18:48We've got to turn right into Redgate Corner.
18:50Will he yield?
18:52Good, firm stuff.
18:53Real door-handle-to-door-handle stuff,
18:55but Christensen got it right.
18:56He was completely alongside Plato.
18:58Plato had no answer.
19:00Look at this, Waddy.
19:01So many door handles, so little time.
19:04Tarquini slides through the inside of Rydell into the old hairpin.
19:08That was gutsy.
19:09Well, I don't know why, Rydell.
19:10He just said, OK, Gabriele, the door's open.
19:13Take my second place.
19:14There's no need for him to be that generous.
19:17Very strange indeed from Rydell, unless he's got a problem.
19:20Now his second problem's going to be dealing with Anthony Reed
19:22because he's right behind him, and Alan Morrison is pitting.
19:25Disappointment.
19:26Class B leader having to come into the pits.
19:28Make sure the bonnet is firmly attached,
19:30but, of course, the battle between the two Hondas going on with Kay and Lemmer
19:33is going to see him drop back behind them.
19:35There are our two Class B Hondas.
19:38James Kay now leads.
19:40Here's the battle of the drive-through dudes.
19:42This is Matt Neil and Peter Cox.
19:44Both of them have had drive-through penalties
19:46and therefore find themselves next to each other on the track,
19:49scrapping for position.
19:50And if I was in Peter Cox's situation, I'm going to say,
19:53is Matt Neil going to hit me or not?
19:55Everybody else has managed to do it today.
19:57He does look very tentative, the old Cox, doesn't he?
20:00He's not pushing very hard.
20:01Matt Neil is pushing very hard, though.
20:03Onto the boot lid.
20:04This is Matt Neil's favourite passing position up into McLean's.
20:08What will he do? Cox thinks,
20:09oh, look, I'm just going to get out of here in one piece,
20:11let him through.
20:12I'm not walking back to the pits from here.
20:13I think you're absolutely right.
20:14That was a question of Peter Cox saying,
20:16I don't want to be hit anymore.
20:18Please stop.
20:20Well, Matt Neil pulls off into the distance.
20:22Peter Cox lives to fight another day
20:24and moves down the order.
20:26He's now in ninth position.
20:27Now, here's the battle for fifth position.
20:29And what a battle it is.
20:30That's Yvonne Muller still clubbing those kerbs
20:32through the old hairpin.
20:33The very fast right-hander.
20:35And Tom Christensen still hanging onto the boot lid.
20:37But it's all going to be too late
20:38because the Ford guys are rushing up to the pit wall.
20:41They know what's going to happen.
20:43This guy, Alan Menuh.
20:44Absolutely superb day for Alan Menuh.
20:46Wins the sprint race.
20:47En route, he's going to win the feature race.
20:49And he is going to be delighted as well
20:51as leading the championship.
20:52Near the last two corners.
20:54No one can stop him now.
20:56Doesn't even use all of the kerbs.
20:57Takes the chequered flag.
20:58Well done, Alan.
21:00It was as easy as that.
21:01Great drive for Gabriele Tarquini, too, in the Honda.
21:03Second place for him.
21:05And this fight is going to go right down to the wire.
21:07Muller moves to cover.
21:08Christensen in the red and white Honda tries to fight back.
21:11Muller's on the inside.
21:12Christensen moves to the outside.
21:13Two wheels up on the kerb.
21:15Can't quite do it.
21:16Oh, Muller wins by a poof-teeth over Christensen
21:19into fifth position.
21:22Alan Menuh, though, his day.
21:25Can't say too much about it.
21:26Gabriele Tarquini put up a very strong fight.
21:28The only man, it seems, who thus far can challenge the Fords.
21:31Although we have to remember he wasn't carrying ballast.
21:34Then it's Rydell and Reid for Ford.
21:36Great day for them.
21:37And then in fifth position, Ivan Muller in the box hall.
21:40Tom Christensen, great fight for him in sixth.
21:42Jason Plato, seventh.
21:43Matt Neal, our lead independent in eighth.
21:45Cox, nine.
21:46And Blair rounds out the top ten.
21:49We didn't have such a good start this time.
21:51Ricard's start was better.
21:53And then I was just following him.
21:55Just before the pit stop, I caught him up
21:58and slowed me down a little bit as he came into the pit.
22:02I mean, I messed up a bit of the chicane
22:04and Tarquini was right behind,
22:05so I had to brake on the inside for Red Gate.
22:08And then the boys did a fantastic pit stop.
22:10So I came out just in front.
22:12Again, I had to block the line.
22:14And that's very tricky because your front tyres are cold
22:16and your car is very, very nervous.
22:18And I had to push like hell because I had two Fords behind me
22:20and then a Honda.
22:22And then Tarquini came out just behind, which was good.
22:25So, fantastic.
22:26For Ford and Fordrive, it's a great weekend.