BTCC

Neal hoping to use (light) weight to his advantage at Oulton Park

1 Mins read
Credit: Halfords Yuasa Racing
Credit: Halfords Yuasa Racing

Matt Neal is hoping that he can use his light weight ballast to his advantage at the upcoming Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship Round 4 as he looks to improve his seventh place in the championship.

The Halfords Yuasa Racing driver claimed his sixtieth BTCC victory last time out, drawing him level with touring car legend Andy Rouse.

Looking ahead to Oulton Park the Honda driver is in a good mood. “I’m looking forward to Oulton Park; it’s a weekend that usually enjoys good weather and always attracts an enthusiastic crowd, which creates a great atmosphere.” said Neal.

“It’s true that the hairpins will suit the rear wheel-drive cars more than front wheel-drive, but I wouldn’t describe it as one of their ultra-competitive circuits. We’ve had some good results there with the Civic Type R in the past and this year’s car is very strong, so I’m hopeful of being able to take the fight to them.”

While results haven’t gone his way as much as he would have liked recently, Neal is confident that this could actually help him out this weekend. “Weight will definitely play more of a role than it did at Thruxton, so I really need to take advantage of the fact that I’m still relatively light in qualifying and race one and get in the mix.”

Like his team-mate Gordon Shedden, Neal recognises the importance of a good qualifying position at Oulton Park, “Qualifying will be critical as it’s not easy to overtake at Oulton. I’ve got to be aiming for the front two rows of the grid and then targeting the podium – and if I can come away with another win, that would be perfect.

“I’m a little way behind in the championship at the moment and I’m obviously not going to make that deficit up in just one weekend but it’s still very early days and as I keep saying, ‘Flash’ was down in ninth position at the halfway stage last year and came back to win the title, so nothing is impossible.”

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