The Honda Racing Team remain optimistic about their championship challenge for the rest of the season, despite a tough weekend that saw neither driver able to make the podium. Matt Neal, who went into the meeting second in the points, also lost ground to main rival and current points leader Jason Plato, and was passed in the championship by Team Aon’s Tom Onslow-Cole.
Neal had a new engine for the weekend from Neil Brown Engineering although team-mate Gordon Shedden had to run with an older-specification unit after his wasn’t completed in time. In qualifying Neal managed to set the fifth fastest time, despite carrying 36kg of ballast, whilst the LPG-powered Ford Focus’ dominated as expected.
Race one saw Neal finish in 8th position after a tough race in which he got off to a poor start. In the second race Neal was able to improve to fifth by the end of the race. The third race brought the usual drama expected in the late afternoon and, from second on the grid, Neal managed to finish in fourth. Early contact with chief rival Jason Plato lost Neal ground, whilst Plato himself dropped further down the order to 18th and would eventually salvage 9th place.
“Silverstone is a track that doesn’t particularly play to our strengths so to come away still in the hunt is a positive thing,” said Neal. “We are now going to tracks where we will be able to exploit the excellent package that the Civic gives us so I am optimistic of being right in the fight come the end of the season.
“The racing around Silverstone is always tough and it certainly was today,” he added. “It is a hard circuit to pass on because there are so few corners so to be able to improve in each of the races was my main target and that is what we did.”
Shedden had an even tougher weekend than his team-mate. Qualifying was a rare challenge for the Scot, one of the BTCC’s best qualifiers, and he could only manage the 10th best time. Race one did not get any easier as Shedden was punted off circuit and forced to stage a recovery drive to scrape a point for 10th. In race two he managed to improve to seventh, and in race three to fifth. However Shedden took just 11 points away from Silverstone – in his equal worst weekend of the season so far.
“It has been a hard weekend here,” said Shedden. “My car was handling excellently throughout the three races but circumstances beyond my control conspired against us. The first corner problem in race one set the tone for things really but we recovered well. I was in with a chance of taking pole position for the reversed-grid race but they pulled the number six out of the hat when I had finished in seventh place – that was the kind of weekend we had. Like Matt though, I know we have three tracks coming up where the Honda will be the car to have and that gives me optimism.”