CHAMPION NEAL REFLECTS ON 300 BTCC RACES
Reigning Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Champion Matt Neal
says the fans' reaction to him winning £250,000 in a
race remains his favourite memory as he prepares for his 300th
race in the championship at the Croft circuit in North Yorkshire
on 16 July.
Neal was handed the cheque for a quarter of a million quid
by BTCC Series Director Alan Gow at Donington Park in 1999
after he'd just become the first privateer team driver to
beat the might of the manufacturer squads.
Team Halfords driver Neal says that the sensation was even
greater than when he clinched the BTCC title for the first
time in his career last year.
Neal, who became nicknamed ‘The People's Champion',
said: "The very first race win at Donington when we took
the cheque off Alan Gow - that's still the one, for the crowd
as much as anything. The crowd's reaction made it a very special
day."
Neal says victory in that era was much tougher for even the
best-funded independent teams to take on the no-expense-spared
manufacturer squads. Current-day BTCC rules mean spending
on car development is limited, giving the smaller squads a
chance of success in UK motor sport's premier championship.
"It's very different these days - a good independent
team can come in and take on the big boys, as we proved last
year," added Neal.
"But times have changed a lot. I didn't break into the
BTCC until I was 26 and when I did no other driver was under
30.
"You look at drivers now like Colin Turkington and Tom
Chilton - they're in their fifth seasons and are still in
their early 20s. They're achieving so much more now at a much
earlier age, winning races, even pushing for the title.
"I admired and learnt a lot from the likes of Steve
Soper, John Cleland and Andy Rouse. They were real icons -
very professional, very good at their jobs. The disparity
between privateers and manufacturer cars was so great before.
We couldn't compete so you did hold them on a pedestal.
"Now everyone can compete together. I'm sure pretty
much everyone on the grid has beaten me at some point so I
doubt the youngsters look up to me or the likes of Jason Plato
or James Thompson in a similar manner. It's the same in many
sports."
Neal believes that Team RAC driver Turkington in particular
has a great touring car career ahead of him. The 24-year-old
will arrive at Croft lying second to Neal in the drivers'
standings thanks to a victory in the most recent race at Thruxton.
He also says that, at 21, Vauxhall driver Tom Chilton is another
to have impressed him.
"Colin has been very impressive with his consistency,"
said Neal. "He is always ultra quick on his day but it's
maintaining consistency at every meeting that really counts
and this year he's keeping that up.
"Colin's got the right attitude. He's got his head down
and got the right talent and you'd have to say that so has
Tom. But Colin appears more focused on the BTCC as his career."
Spectators at Croft this coming Sunday will be able to meet
Neal and his fellow BTCC drivers during an open Pit Lane Walkabout
session and there will be a further seven races from supporting
championships put on by high-profile manufacturers BMW, Porsche,
Renault and SEAT. Admission for children under 16 is FREE.
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