BTCC Brands Hatch GP: Neal penalised for Turkington contact
Matt Neal has been penalised for his part in the rac💛e two contact involving himself and British Touring Car Championship title c🌳ontender Colin Turkington at Brands Hatch.
The Honda driver made contact with Turkington on the o🃏pening lap of the second race at Graham Hill corner, which tipped the defending champion into a spin and out of points contention.
The incident had huge repercussions on the title race as a non-score for Turkington ultim🌳ately elevated Neal's Honda team mate Dan Cammish into the championship lead, following his third place fꦅinish.

Matt Neal has been penalised for his part in the race two contact involving himself and British Touri🎃n♊g Car Championship title contender Colin Turkington at Brands Hatch.
The Honda driver made contact with Turkington on the opening lap of tꩵhe second race at Graham Hill corner, which💫 tipped the defending champion into a spin and out of points contention.
The incident had huge repercussions on the title r♔ace as a non-score for Turkington ultimately elevatedܫ Neal's Honda team mate Dan Cammish into the championship lead, following his third place finish.
Neal went onto finish the race in fourth and keeps his position in the final classification but has 𒊎been handed a five-place penalty for the final round of the season.
Instead of starting in 8th The Team Dynamics driver will start the final round from 13♕th, and also received three-penalty points on his licence.
Both Neal and Turkington have differing views💎 on the opening lap incident.
"I think it’s clearly a professional foul and a red carღd offense," Turkington told ITV 4 following the race.
"I’m really frus꧒trated that a full season’s work has been taken away in one moment. Matt (Neal) is one of the guys you have a bit more trust with.
"I thought he’d have respected where 𓄧I was a bit more. If it was a Honda and n🐭ot a BMW would he have hit the Honda?
"I would have thought he’d have held the brake a bit longer. It takes me out o🧸f the championship and it’s extremely selfish on his ♓behalf.
“I don’t know what excuse he’ll bring to the table but it was lap one, in the wet; he could have held the brake a bit more. The feedback from the team is that he came🐽 from a long way back and hit me up the rear.
"I’m sure when he saw me up front and behind Dan (Cammish), he was pretty keen to reverse the situation. If it was a Honda, I bet he🐷 wouldn’t have hit it. A BMW’s a far easier target."
Neal saℱid he felt Turkington had left enough of a gap to warrant a mo🍌ve.
"The car was clearly down the inside and he just turned across me. There’s no malice betwe🌄en us. I am respectful," said Neal.
"If I wanted to do Colಌin, I would have in the first race. He left the door open, I put my car inside, and he turned across. I can’t s🗹ee anything more than that."