A BRACE of victories for Yvan Muller at Mondello Park on Sunday relegated Moreton-in-Marsh racer Dan Eaves to third in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship standings.

Reigning champions Vauxhall won all three of the races in Ireland with lead driver Muller winning twice and Northern Irish teammate Colin Turkington the other at his home circuit.

Muller has now leapfrogged Eaves while also slashing the gap between himself and championship leader, Team Halfords' Matt Neal, from 28 points to just 13 as the title race now heads to Snetterton in Norfolk on August 7.

Muller, in his Vauxhall Astra Sport Hatch, dominated the opening race from pole position to claim first place ahead of SEAT's Jason Plato and Neal's Honda Integra.

Race two's result was all down to choosing the right type of tyres on a damp but drying surface. Turk-ington's decision to fit a mixture of slick, dry weather and treaded, wet weather tyres to his Astra Sport Hatch paid off as he swiftly moved through from fourth on the grid into first position.

Pressured

Eaves pressured him in the closing stages, but Turkington had the race under control and he took his second victory of the season, having also won at Croft a week ago.

Eaves came home in second with Neal, on slick tyres all-round, moving up to third as the track gradually dried out.

Muller and Plato, who started from first and second on the grid, finished sixth and tenth having had to serve pit-lane stop-go penalties after their teams had infringed the rules on the grid.

Race three, shown live on ITV, provided some of the most dramatic laps so far of the BTCC season, with plenty of place swapping and side-by-side action throughout the field.

From fourth on the grid, Muller quickly rose to second and, at half distance, overtook Tom Chilton's Arena Motorsports Honda Civic before drawing clear for his second win of the day.

Chilton finished in second position with Rob Collard, in WSR's MG, a fighting third after passing Eaves on the last lap.

At one point, Collard had fallen down to eighth but, following a Safety Car period to allow marshals to clear debris from the track, put on a fantastic charge in the closing stages.

Behind, there was high drama as both Neal and Eaves became involved in clashes with Plato.

First, Eaves ran wide after his and Plato's cars made contact. At the next corner, Neal dived down the inside of Plato, their cars made contact and ran off the track together.

Neal was able to keep going and, after a quick pit stop to change his tyres, rejoined the race and eventually finished seventh. Plato, though, could only crawl back to the pit lane where he retired his damaged Toledo Cupra.

Turkington finished fifth and, allied to his race two victory and fourth position in race one, has closed to within seven points of fourth-placed Plato in the championship.

Eaves is third but, having arrived at Mondello a point ahead of Muller in second, leaves Ireland 14 points behind the Frenchman.