Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship star Matt Neal says he will be facing one of his biggest challenges of the season when the Honda Racing Team takes part in the third round of the series at Thruxton this weekend.
The Civic driver is second in the standings heading into rounds seven, eight and nine of the 2011 campaign at the 2.3-mile Hampshire track but the former double champion says this weekend will be tough. Rulemakers have cut the level of boost that turbocharged cars are permitted to use, and Neal says this will affect his Civic.
“The organisers have changed the rules to peg back our two-litre turbocharged engine, which seems to me like it is a rule that has singled us out to penalise us more than anyone else. I just can’t understand it,” says Neal. “It appears that we have been held back because we had been doing such good job so far this season, which isn’t fair.”
As well as the rule changes, Thruxton is the fastest circuit on the calendar and offers a unique challenge for the British Touring Car Championship runners. Its demanding nature throws another unknown into the mixture.
“Thruxton is always tough on tyres and that means it is going to be a journey into the unknown,” adds Neal. “We are going there with one arm tied behind our back because of the rule changes and there is a lot of work to do on the set-up. It’s so hard to know what to predict from the three rounds but we know that the Civic has a great chassis, so that is going to help us.”
Neal’s team-mate Gordon Shedden, who is seventh in the standings, thinks the power cut will hurt the Hondas at the high-speed circuit. “I am confused about how they have come to this decision to peg back the turbo cars but we have just go to get on with our jobs and perform to our maximum. We are going to be handicapped because of this, but we will be giving it everything we have got,” says ‘Flash’.
“I love Thruxton because it’s a very fast circuit and you have to be brave but you also have to be clever in the way that you use the tyres and how you preserve the rubber. It means there is a lot to think about as a driver and it’s a challenge. We are going to be fighting an uphill battle now that the rules have been altered but there certainly will not be a lack of effort from the Honda Racing Team.”
Rounds seven, eight and nine of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship take place on Sunday, and the first action of the day kicks off at 11.30am. The entire day’s action is broadcast live on ITV4.
