Neal Takes Historic BTCC Title
Sunday 2 October 2005: Matt Neal has today (Sunday) been
crowned the new Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Champion.
Neal, aged 38 and from Droitwich, finished third in the second
of three races at the Brands Hatch circuit in Kent to make
sure of the title.
This is the first time that Neal, who drives a Honda Integra
for the independent Team Halfords squad, has won Britain’s
biggest motor racing championship.
Neal’s victory also marks the first time since 1991
that an independent team has won the BTCC title ahead of the
bigger budgeted manufacturer teams.
“It’s an emotional moment. It’s fabulous,”
said Neal. “Everybody who’s involved in backing
this team has won today. If you’d told me before the
season started that I’d be crowned champion, when you
think of who we’ve been up against – Vauxhall,
SEAT and some other very good teams and drivers – I’d
have struggled to believe it.”
Neal’s team, run by his father Steve Neal, first entered
the BTCC in 1992. Together, they have since won the independents
title five times and in 1999 famously scooped £250,000
at Donington Park for winning a race against the might of
the manufacturer teams.
Today, though, marks the Neals’ biggest achievement.
Their team has also ended the season with more race wins than
its rivals – Neal and team-mates Dan Eaves and Gareth
Howell have achieved 12 race wins from 30 races – and
the prestigious teams’ title ahead of manufacturers
Vauxhall’s VX Racing squad and SEAT Sport UK.
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