NEAL CAUTIOUS AFTER SCHUMACHER TITLE BLOW
Matt Neal says there is no guarantee he will win the Dunlop
MSA British Touring Car Championship at Silverstone this coming
Sunday and has pointed to Michael Schumacher’s shock
retirement in last weekend’s Japanese Formula 1 Grand
Prix as proof of how quickly fortunes can change on the track.
Team Halfords driver Neal, from Droitwich, holds a seemingly
unbeatable 35-point lead over nearest rival, SEAT's Jason
Plato, as the BTCC arrives for its final three races of 2006
at Silverstone.
If Neal wins the title he will become the first driver to
win back-to-back BTCC crowns since 1987 following his championship
success of 2005.
But Neal said: "Just look at Michael Schumacher in Japan
– it looked like he had the title in his pocket but
then it all went wrong for him. He broke down in a car that
never breaks down. I was gutted for him. It’s a reminder
to everybody that in this game it’s not over until it’s
over."
Neal, though, says the fact he has delivered strong results
on tracks he thought would be tough for him in 2006 is a good
sign as he’s never been a fan of the short Silverstone
National circuit that stages this weekend’s title-decider.
Last year there he struggled to get on the pace; in 2004 at
the Northamptonshire track he was involved in a pit lane bust-up;
in 1994 he was injured when he rolled a Mazda at 120mph.
The 39-year-old added: "I’ve had a few rough moments
at Silverstone in the past. But this year I seem to have performed
well at places which were my bogey circuits before and struggled
at circuits where I’ve always done well so I hope that
trend continues this weekend.
"I’m feeling pretty cool about it all. The grid
is going to be the biggest of the year and Jason’s team
SEAT has rolled out an extra car, but I don’t see it
being any different to what it’s been during the rest
of the year.
"The final stages of last year before I won the title
were untrodden territory, but this time I know what I’ve
got to do and how to stay out of trouble…"
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