REDDITCH outfit Team Dynamics Halford stayed top of the British Touring Car Teams Champion-ship despite losing ground to second placed Seat after a dramatic weekend at Snetterton.

The Redditch team saw their lead cut to just nine points after again falling foul of Seat nemesis Jason Plato, who tangled controversially with Halfords'

championship leader Matt Neal in the second of three races.

Neal was pushing Round 20 leader Plato to the limit from nine laps into the 21-lap race an twice made his move on the final lap only to end up being closed out and spinning off the track on the final corner to finish eighth, two places behind team mate Gordon Shedden.

On the first occasion Neal tried to find a gap but ended up sideways on in front of Plato's front bumper before miraculously recovering to stay hot on his rivals' heels, incensed, Neal made a final desperate gambit but his attempt to pass Plato on the inside ended in disaster.

Reigning champion Neal, who has already engaged in a war of words with Plato this season was clearly unhappy with his rival after a race which saw Seat complete their second one/two finish of the day.

"I'm a bit gobsmacked after that race," said Neal. "The car was great and we came up through the field and then that all happens on the last lap, it was quite unbelievable.

"I think he (Plato) ought to look at it rather than me, I think the footage speaks for itself. I'm not getting into another slanging match with him, we've done that enough already.

"I thought I made two clean moves on him but, obviously they weren't!"

Neal was bullish when asked if he should have secured a straightforward second place going into the final bend.

"In retrospect, if everyone drives cleanly no, in retrospect if you thought that was going to happen, yes."

The day had started disappointly for Neal who qualified fifth on the grid for round 19 before colliding with championship rival Colin Turkington and being forced into a tyre wall. A further crunch from Owen Murray as Neal tried to recover left the Halfords Honda Integra badly damaged but Neal somehow recovered to finish sixth with team mate Gareth Howell, on his first outing for a year, securing more points a place behind and Shedden crashing out on a wet opening race.

Scot Shedden led Halfords home with Howell fifth on the dramatic second race before Neal kept Halfords' noses in front with a win on the final race, driving in textbook fashion after starting second on the grid, behind Howell

- although Tom Chilton's blistering start saw him squeeze between the two orange-liveried Integras early on.

Neal took the lead from Chilton on Lap Three and never surrendered it despite the best efforts of James Thompson as Howell failed to finish.

Team Halfords return to the track in Shedden's native country at Knockhill on September 3.