Matt Neal admitted his frustration after qualifying third ahead of today’s opening round of the 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, behind team-mate Gordon Shedden and Tom Ingram, who secured a maiden pole position.
Neal, who clocked a fastest lap time of 48.101 seconds, just 0.111 seconds slower than the Toyota Avensis, acknowledged the benefits of having two of the three Halfords Yuasa Racing cars within the top three, but admitted that, as a competitor, he was disappointed with the session.
“In a glass half full way, I guess I should be pleased but it really didn’t quite work out given the combination of traffic, rain and other factors.” he explained.
“The Honda was definitely capable of pole and I don’t like to miss out on such opportunities. Sitting in the car before the session started I thought anything but pole would be a disappointment, but we’ve got two cars in the top three and there are plenty of positives there.”
The three-time champion will have his work cut out when the first round begins at 11:32, with the rear-wheel drive BMW 125i M-Sport of Sam Tordoff for company alongside him on the second row, with the rapid MG duo of Josh Cook and Ashley Sutton in close company behind.
You can watch the race live via ITV4 or follow TouringCars.net’s live text commentary from 11:15.