Honda Racing Team points leader Matt Neal says that he is confident going to Snetterton this weekend, with recent testing having helped the team to improve its Civic further.
A recent test session at Donington Park saw both Neal and team-mate Gordon Shedden make changes to the car to further improve its balance and ensure that the team remains in the thick of the championship battle for the second half of the season.
“Our Civic is one of the best handling cars on the grid, but you can always keep refining things and that is what we did at the test,” said Neal. “We were chipping away at the suspension settings trying to find an extra edge. Although there has been a seven-week break in the championship, our team never stands still in the quest to make the Civic even stronger.”
Although the team continue to take steps to improve the performance of their car, series bosses recently announced further reductions to the turbo boost pressure, something which is likely to affect the Honda team this weekend.
“We have yet again been held back for doing a good job so far this year, which seems unfair,” added Neal. “But we can only make sure that we have the handling and the speed to overcome this handicap. I am confident that we will perform.”
Shedden is currently third in the driver’s championship, some 20 points off his team-mate Neal, and hopes that he can strengthen his championship challenge this weekend at the new Snetterton 300 circuit.
“It is like going to a totally new track,” admitted Shedden. “It has new sections that are twisty, but there are still the long straights and they will play into our hands.
“My prime target is to cut the gap to Matt at the top of the points standings. The championship has been so tight and competitive this season and we have already seen that it can alter dramatically over the course of any given weekend. If I can leave Snetterton having narrowed the gap to Matt and made Honda one-two in the drivers’ points, then I will be happy.”