JAMES THOMPSON made a welcome return to the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch yesterday by winning two of the opening three races.

Thompson, the 2002 champion who is driving in the series for Seat when his commitments in the World Touring Car Championship permit, led all the way from pole position in the second race, after overtaking the Vauxhall of Tom Chilton in the closing stages of the first race, to secure his victories and an early lead in the BTCC drivers’ championship.

Chilton, who had started from pole position and set a race lap record on his debut in the Astra, finished second ahead of Matt Neal, the defending champion, in the Team Halfords Honda Integra, then took a seventh and fifth to end the day third in the driver standings behind Colin Turkington in the Team RAC MG.

Two of the pre-season favourites, Jason Plato, of Seat, and the experienced Fabrizio Giovanardi, in a Vauxhall, both retired from the first race with crash damage, but Plato made it a clean sweep for Seat by winning the third race of the day.

Officials ended the race four laps early after Neal was in a collision with Rob Collard, Turkington’s team-mate, as they fought for second place. Neal, although uninjured, was unable to get out of his car, so the race was brought to an early conclusion.

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