Three-time British Touring Car champion Matt Neal is expecting tough opposition when the championship returns at Brands Hatch in April.
Team Dynamics are currently abroad at Castelloli Circuit in Spain running through their winter testing programme, with Neal joined by long-term team mate and reigning champion, Gordon Shedden.
With a new compound of Dunlop SportMaxx tyre to gather data on ahead of the season, Dynamics are also joined in Spain by new stablemate Matt Simpson, before resuming testing in the UK from next week.
Neal has tipped both of Honda’s strongest manufacturer rivals, BMW and Subaru, to make a strong start to the upcoming season.
“Anything could happen, you need luck on your side,” he told TouringCars.net
“You’ll have a very good BMW and Subaru starting the season well, so it’ll be hard to be in that place this year – but never say never. I felt in a good place last year, and we’ll see how we go this year.”
After suffering concussion during an incident at last years finale – and losing his chance at the drivers title in the process – Neal admitted the setback was difficult to stomach, especially given the performance of the Honda Civic Type R on the day.
“I was pretty gutted at the end – I was pleased for Flash – but gutted personally.” he admitted.
“I’d had a good year. I said at the beginning of the last meeting it’ll be luck on whose car hooks up, and mine felt really hooked up on raceday.
“I really felt confident that it was going to go, but then a Cosworth component failed and that switched the throttle off on the car. That’s the reason Ashley [Sutton] got in the back of me, if I hadn’t gone in the wall I’d have been out anyway. It wasn’t my time.”
As Honda’s evergreen driver pairing enters its eighth consecutive campaign, Neal underlined his commitment to remaining within the sport until at least the end of Dynamics’ current sponsorship agreement with Halfords Autocentres.
“The people starting rumours are the people that want my drive! Halfords are with us for another two years, I’ve said I’ll take a rain-check after that and have a look at it.”