NEAL PUSHING FOR IMPROVEMENTS
TO STAY AHEAD OF RIVALS
Reigning champion Matt Neal this weekend (3-4 June) heads
to Thruxton - a circuit he has never won on - urging his Team
Halfords squad to wring extra performance from its Honda Integra
in a bid to keep ahead of what he says is "growing opposition"
in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.
Neal, from Droitwich, says the competition in 2006 is stronger
and more varied than in 2005 when the title came down to just
him and Vauxhall's Yvan Muller. Even SEAT's Jason Plato couldn't
keep up. But this time around, Neal has greater concerns for
his championship lead.
Neal, out testing his Honda this week in a bid to find improvements,
said: "Everyone in the team knows we have to find more...
more speed from the car and more speed from me.
"You see the strengths of the opposition - SEAT has
won four of the nine races so far, the two Team RAC MGs are
very strong and Vauxhall has also pulled its socks up. Plus
there are several others who are consistently in there fighting.
"Last year we really only had to worry about one person
in terms of a consistent threat and that was Muller. Jason
was quick on his day and there were other individuals who
could challenge every now and then but didn't have the consistency.
But now everybody has found the consistency required to be
a real pain in the neck."
Neal holds a 14-point championship lead over SEAT's James
Thompson after the first nine of this year's 30 rounds. Plato
is just one point further back and is in effect Neal's main
title rival as Thompson will miss four of this year's race
meetings - starting with Thruxton where he'll be replaced
in the SEAT squad by British Le Mans 24 Hours star Darren
Turner.
Thruxton, in Hampshire, is also the only track that Neal,
known for his superstitions, has failed to win on since he
started his racing career in the 1980s. Furthermore, as championship
leader, he will have to drive in Saturday's qualifying session
and the first of Sunday's three BTCC races with his car carrying
maximum success ballast - an extra 45kgs in weight.
Neal added: "Realistically, with the extra weight, I
predict sixth place smells good for where I'll qualify - anything
higher than the third row of the grid and I'll be delighted.
"Fourteen points isn't much of a lead. Remember, I turned
around a bigger gap than that at Mondello Park to move into
the lead. I won't be sitting back and playing it safe... it's
far too early in the season for all that. Right now, every
point counts.
"If I don't win at Thruxton, I won't be overly stressed.
What's most important is I maximise what I've got at my disposal."
Neal and his BTCC rivals will be in race action three times
at Thruxton on Sunday and the crowds will be able to meet
the star drivers for autographs and give-aways during the
FREE and hugely popular Pit Lane Walkabout session. Another
seven races are on the bill from high-profile supporting championships
run by leading manufacturers BMW, Porsche, Renault and SEAT.
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