The unexpected absence of his main championship rival, Nelson Rowe, and the driver currently in second place, Nigel Bancroft, left the door open for Neil to take firm control of this years title chase and he wasted little time doing just that in qualifying, leaving his rivals vainly chasing nothing but his dust by posting a time from that was a mighty 2.545 seconds clear of the second placed man Chris Sharples.
Neil had expressed some disappointment at the prospect of not having anybody to actually duel with in the afternoon's race but by the time the red lights flashed off he settled down to business and already had a clear lead as the pack raced through the first corner at Paddock Hill Bend.
Neil then continued to pull away at between 2 to 3 seconds a lap and was nearly 20 seconds clear after 8 laps of the 2.432 mile long full Grand Prix circuit when the race was red flagged after the battle that had been raging behind for second place ended in a violent accident that fortunately saw nobody hurt.
This win means that despite a lucky start to the season Neil has amassed the maximum possible 75 points from the first three races, placing him 39 points clear of his nearest rival and makes him odds on favourite to retain his title for yet another year even at this early stage of the season. Neil's campaign continues in two weeks time at Silverstone on May 21st.
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