The Wix Racing Mercedes A Class of Adam Morgan took round seven of the British Touring Car Championship at Thruxton as a spate of tyre failures led to a multi-car crash on the start straight.
The accident, sparked when championship leader Matt Neal’s Honda suffered a puncture, also involved his Halfords Yuasa Racing team-mate Gordon Shedden, the Triple 8 Racing MG6 of Josh Cook and the RCIB Insurance Toyota Avensis of Jake Hill, all four cars suffering significant damage.
Behind Morgan, who took his second win of 2016, Tom Ingram’s Speedworks Toyota Avensis and the Pirtek Ford of Andrew Jordan navigated the chaos to take second and third spots on the podium.
From the start pole-sitter Ingram, Neal and the Laser Tools Mercedes of Aidan Moffat had all tried to take the lead into the Complex corner, contact being made and Neal emerging with the lead, the two MGs of John Cook and Ashley Sutton also getting involved until Sutton slid off into the barrier. Morgan was on a charge and took second into the chicane on lap 3, and set about closing down the gap to Neal, passing him across the start line onto lap 5 and the Honda then falling behind Moffat’s Mercedes.
Morgan then pulled away, while behind him second to tenth became a batting train of cars, Moffat ahead of Neal, Ingram, Jordan, Cook and Shedden.
With 10 laps down the punctures began ? Moffat was the first to suffer, running off the circuit at the Complex as Neal passed him. Two laps later both Mark Howa...