Breaking news
BTCC Brands Hatch
Chilton stripped of victory in BTCC opener
Tom Chilton has lost his Brands Hatch final race victory after getting a five-second penalty for his clash with Matt Neal in the British Touring Car Championship season opener.
Matt Kew
Published: Apr 7, 2019, 6:53 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
As a result, AMD Tuning driver Rory Butcher has been handed the win and he claimed his first ever BTCC victory.
The result was put in doubt after Team Dynamics protested Chilton’s pass on Neal for the lead at Clearways.
Neal had been struggling for on the soft compound tyre as it began to wear, allowing Chilton to close.
But the Motorbase driver hit the back of Neal’s Honda Civic Type R and forced him into a slide as he attempted to pass.
The time penalty means Chilton drops only to second and maintains the runner-up spot in the standings behind Josh Cook.
Neal told Motorsport.com: "That was definitely a push-to-pass move.
"There were two hits on the rear of my car going into the corner until he had pushed me wide enough to go up the inside.
"I thought, according to the rules, that wasn’t allowed."
Chilton, for his part, thought the robust move was fair: "I learned that trick off Matt when I was his [Dynamics] teammate in 2008. Matt turned in and kept coming."
Neal will keep eighth place having dropped backed as a result of right-rear suspension failure on the final lap.
The three-time BTCC champion was also hit by Stephen Jelley in the race on the way to the BMW driver scoring Team Parker Racing’s first podium in the series.
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Ty Dillon takes photo-finish win in dramatic Stage 1 at Bristol
Next article New IndyCar engine could be delayed to help lure third OEM
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Matt Kew
Marko suggests Perez's improved F1 form because 2025 contract at stake
Formula 1
Formula 1
Japanese GP
Marko suggests Perez's improved F1 form because 2025 contract at stake
Russell explains how low-fuel runs expose Mercedes F1 inconsistency
Formula 1
Formula 1
Japanese GP
Russell explains how low-fuel runs expose Mercedes F1 inconsistency
Leclerc: No answer for "once in a season" Japan F1 qualifying struggle
Formula 1
Formula 1
Japanese GP
Leclerc: No answer for "once in a season" Japan F1 qualifying struggle
More from
Tom Chilton
Chilton joins Excelr8 Hyundai for 2022 BTCC season
BTCC
BTCC
Chilton joins Excelr8 Hyundai for 2022 BTCC season
Croft BTCC: Chilton wins wet final race from pole
BTCC
BTCC
Croft
Croft BTCC: Chilton wins wet final race from pole
"Dangerous" Blundell should consider BTCC exit - Chilton
BTCC
BTCC
Thruxton
"Dangerous" Blundell should consider BTCC exit - Chilton
Latest news
Manthey acknowledges IMSA to be "tougher than expected" despite two wins
IMSA
IMSA IMSA 6 h
Manthey acknowledges IMSA to be "tougher than expected" despite two wins
How a philosophy shift brought BMW to new heights in 2026
IMSA
IMSA IMSA 6 h
How a philosophy shift brought BMW to new heights in 2026
Fred Vasseur reveals two costly moments that denied Ferrari US GP double podium
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
6 h
Fred Vasseur reveals two costly moments that denied Ferrari US GP double podium
Cleetus McFarland set to compete full-time for 2027 ARCA championship
ARCA
ARCA ARCA 8 h
Cleetus McFarland set to compete full-time for 2027 ARCA championship
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe