NEAL "FLAT OUT" AT OULTON PARK
Reigning Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Champion Matt Neal
says he needs to be "flat out and on the double"
at Oulton Park this coming Sunday (14 May) as he continues
his pursuit of a second consecutive title.
Neal won twice at Mondello Park three weeks ago - once even
when his car was carrying maximum ballast - to take the lead
of Britain's most famous motor racing championship.
But at Oulton the championship leader fears that it will
be more difficult to hold on ahead of closest title rivals,
Team RAC MG driver Colin Turkington and SEAT team-mates James
Thompson and Jason Plato.
Neal, driving a Team Halfords Honda Integra, said: "The
races these days are short sprints and qualifying well for
the first race is really important.
"Because I'm leading, I'll go into qualifying still
with maximum ballast and that could make life difficult.
"On top of that, Mondello is twisty so staying in front
with the extra weight is possible. Oulton is wider and flows
more. It's going to be pretty tough.
"There's only one way to go - flat out and score as
many points as possible. I might have got back into the lead
of the championship, but you can't afford to back off and
cruise. It's way too early in the season to think like that.
Right now, every point and every place earned matters. You've
got to be on the double."
Neal believes Thompson, Plato, Turkington and the latter's
RAC team-mate Robert Collard will be his biggest threats at
Oulton - the North-West's only BTCC race meeting of the year.
It could also, he reckons, be a pointer towards how the form
book will pan out over the rest of the season.
"Those four will all be absolutely on it this weekend,"
adds Neal, a winner at Oulton in his Honda last year.
"I've said before that I see Jason as the big threat
ultimately, but Colin's only two points adrift of me and it'd
be foolish to rule him out. He's struggled at Oulton before
so it'll be interesting to see if he can come good this time.
Certainly, that MG is competitive and if he does show well
at Oulton then it's a sign he'll be strong for the remainder
of the year.
"Colin also knows how to win races, but the championship
is a different thing. Come the second half of the season the
pressure does start to get a bit intense. In that respect,
Jason is a proven commodity, whereas Colin isn't so we'll
see how he copes with it."
The BTCC will be in race action three times at Oulton Park
on Sunday and the crowds will also be able to meet the drivers
for autographs and give-aways during the hugely popular Pit
Lane Walkabout. In addition, there will be a further six championship
races from high-profile manufacturers BMW, Porsche, Renault
and SEAT.
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