NEAL IN BTCC POLE POSITION AT BRANDS HATCH
Matt Neal has qualified on pole position for the first of
tomorrow’s (Sunday) three Dunlop MSA British Touring
Car Championship races at Brands Hatch.
Neal, driving his Team Halfords Honda Integra, set a best
lap time of 49.312 seconds around Brands’ short Indy
circuit. Starting second on tomorrow’s grid alongside
Neal will be his team-mate Dan Eaves, the current championship
leader, who set a best time of 49.544s.
Tom Chilton, in the Arena Motorsports team’s Honda
Civic, set the session’s second best time – just
eight thousandths of a second slower than Neal. But Chilton
will be relegated six places on the grid to seventh as punishment
for a driving indiscretion in the previous race at Thruxton.
His attempts to rise back up the order could be a highlight
of tomorrow when the BTCC receives live terrestrial television
coverage from ITV1 between 16.05 and 17.05.
Starting third and fourth in their VX Racing team’s
Vauxhall Astra Sport Hatches will be Yvan Muller and Gavin
Smith. Rob Collard, in WSR’s MG will line up in fifth
just ahead of VXR’s Colin Turkington. Jason Plato will
be SEAT’s highest starter in eighth at the wheel of
his Toledo.
Neal’s and Eaves’ times were set in the field’s
two heaviest cars – their Hondas are carrying the most
success ballast due to their top two positions in the championship
standings.
Neal, who is eight points behind Eaves in the title chase,
said: “I’m really pleased with this. To be the
top two with a lot of ballast shows just how good this car
is. But I’m experienced enough to know that tomorrow
could be a very different story. There’s no doubt we’re
in strong shape, but the racing around here can be manic.
I expect three very tough races.”
Muller, whose qualifying and race lap records around Brands
Indy date back to 2001, is Eaves’ and Neal’s closest
challenger in the championship. But the Frenchman, always
spectacular at Brands, was perplexed by the Honda Integras’
speed. “I’m not really that happy with third,”
said Muller. “My place is better than we expected with
the ballast we are carrying but the Hondas are heavier and
they are still ahead.”
Meanwhile, local team to Brands Hatch, Tenterden-based HPI
Racing with Friends Reunited experienced mixed fortunes with
its two Lexus in the qualifying session. Ian Curley (Marden),
making his BTCC debut this weekend, set the 12th fastest time.
But team-mate Richard Williams (Tunbridge Wells) was unable
to take to the track as his car suffered mechanical problems
before leaving the pit lane.
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