Honda BTCC Race Preview - Silverstone
Barretts Honda News
BTCC Race Preview
Rounds 19-21, Silverstone, Northamptonshire
Honda Racing Team star Matt Neal says developments to his Civic can help him zero in on the lead of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at Silverstone this weekend. The 43-year-old, who is currently second in the standings, thinks work on the two-litre motor in his hatchback will reap rewards at the Northamptonshire track.
“Our engine tuner Neil Brown has looked closely at the engine and we have managed to extract even more power from it which will be an advantage for us,” said Neal, a three-time winner so far this season. “We think we have found a few more horsepower. We won’t know exactly how much it will push us forward until we get on to the circuit for the free practice on Saturday but I hope it will help us rein the others in.”
Neal comes to the Silverstone track 20 points adrift of the title summit and says that the three rounds on Sunday are going to be a tough battle. Neal explained: “The LPG Ford Focuses in the championship will be very strong around Silverstone with its long straights and they are going to present a hard challenge for everyone, not just the Honda Racing Team. We need to grab a healthy points haul at Silverstone, keep ourselves in the title fight but I am going there with less success ballast than I have had in previous meetings and that will be a bonus. Once Silverstone is finished, we can then look forward to the circuits coming up which will be more suited to our Civic,” he added.
Neal’s Honda Racing Team partner ‘Flash’ Gordon Shedden, also a three-time winner in the series this season, is third in the standings heading into the seventh meeting of the year. He took a win last time out in the reversed grid race at Snetterton in Norfolk and is aiming to push himself further towards the top of the points table this weekend.
“I managed to score 27 points at Snetterton which wasn’t a circuit that played to the Civic’s strengths,” said Flash. “That has kept me in the hunt and I need a similar performance at Silverstone this weekend. Silverstone is a circuit that is going to be tough for us so I need to look at banking as many points as possible and I need to get to the end of all three rounds. If I can maximise the reversed grid race again, like I did at Snetterton, it could present us with the best opportunity to score a lot. It’s a delicate stage of the season and we need to keep the pressure on.”
The weekend also marks a special celebration of Honda’s high performance Type R cars following an announcement that UK sales of the current Civic Type R are drawing to a close at the end of this year, due to forthcoming Euro V emissions regulations. As well as watching the thrilling tin top racing, 40 enthusiasts from the biggest Honda owners' clubs in the UK will get the chance to experience the track for themselves in a special 'Lap of Honour' to commemorate the Type R. An exclusive Type R Enclosure and Grandstand will be available for those Honda Type R drivers who have won the chance to attend this special event.
British Touring Car Championship standings (after 18/30 rounds):
1. Jason Plato, Racing Silverline, Chevrolet Lacetti (151)
2. Matt Neal, Honda Racing Team, Honda Civic (131)
3. Gordon Shedden, Honda Racing Team, Honda Civic (127)
4. Tom Onslow-Cole, Team Aon, Ford Focus ST (113)
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BTCC Race Preview
Rounds 19-21, Silverstone, Northamptonshire
Honda Racing Team star Matt Neal says developments to his Civic can help him zero in on the lead of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at Silverstone this weekend. The 43-year-old, who is currently second in the standings, thinks work on the two-litre motor in his hatchback will reap rewards at the Northamptonshire track.
“Our engine tuner Neil Brown has looked closely at the engine and we have managed to extract even more power from it which will be an advantage for us,” said Neal, a three-time winner so far this season. “We think we have found a few more horsepower. We won’t know exactly how much it will push us forward until we get on to the circuit for the free practice on Saturday but I hope it will help us rein the others in.”
Neal comes to the Silverstone track 20 points adrift of the title summit and says that the three rounds on Sunday are going to be a tough battle. Neal explained: “The LPG Ford Focuses in the championship will be very strong around Silverstone with its long straights and they are going to present a hard challenge for everyone, not just the Honda Racing Team. We need to grab a healthy points haul at Silverstone, keep ourselves in the title fight but I am going there with less success ballast than I have had in previous meetings and that will be a bonus. Once Silverstone is finished, we can then look forward to the circuits coming up which will be more suited to our Civic,” he added.
Neal’s Honda Racing Team partner ‘Flash’ Gordon Shedden, also a three-time winner in the series this season, is third in the standings heading into the seventh meeting of the year. He took a win last time out in the reversed grid race at Snetterton in Norfolk and is aiming to push himself further towards the top of the points table this weekend.
“I managed to score 27 points at Snetterton which wasn’t a circuit that played to the Civic’s strengths,” said Flash. “That has kept me in the hunt and I need a similar performance at Silverstone this weekend. Silverstone is a circuit that is going to be tough for us so I need to look at banking as many points as possible and I need to get to the end of all three rounds. If I can maximise the reversed grid race again, like I did at Snetterton, it could present us with the best opportunity to score a lot. It’s a delicate stage of the season and we need to keep the pressure on.”
The weekend also marks a special celebration of Honda’s high performance Type R cars following an announcement that UK sales of the current Civic Type R are drawing to a close at the end of this year, due to forthcoming Euro V emissions regulations. As well as watching the thrilling tin top racing, 40 enthusiasts from the biggest Honda owners' clubs in the UK will get the chance to experience the track for themselves in a special 'Lap of Honour' to commemorate the Type R. An exclusive Type R Enclosure and Grandstand will be available for those Honda Type R drivers who have won the chance to attend this special event.
British Touring Car Championship standings (after 18/30 rounds):
1. Jason Plato, Racing Silverline, Chevrolet Lacetti (151)
2. Matt Neal, Honda Racing Team, Honda Civic (131)
3. Gordon Shedden, Honda Racing Team, Honda Civic (127)
4. Tom Onslow-Cole, Team Aon, Ford Focus ST (113)
To be kept up to date on news, new products, offers and events at Barretts Honda you can now follow us Twitter: @BarrettsHonda
A part of the Barretts Motor Group www.barrettskent.co.uk
Labels: BTCC, Gordon Shedden, Honda Racing Team, Matt Neal, motortradesolutions.net, Silverstone, Twitter
posted by motortradesolutions.net at
18:27
