Matt Neal excited for Croft challenge
Matt Neal has been going back to Croft for two decades, but he’s still feeling just as excited as the first time.
The Stourbridge race ace returns to the Yorkshire circuit for the latest rounds of the British Touring Car Championship this weekend on the back of his Oulton Park resurgence.
A trio of podium places saw the three-time champion rise to fifth in the drivers’ standings, 33 points behind Halfords Yuasa Racing team-mate Gordon Shedden ahead of the all-round challenge posed by Croft.
“I had the pleasure two decades ago of participating in Croft’s BTCC resurgence,” said Neal, whose Honda Civic Type R is expected to go well.
“It’s been pretty much 20 years on the bounce for me since then, and I always look forward to going back.
“The fans can get really close to the action and smell the burning rubber and engine oil, while for drivers, you’ve got the technical section and the proper high-speed stuff through the Esses and Barcroft, which isn’t for the faint-hearted – you’ve really got to hold on!
“In that respect, you need a good all-round car, which the Civic Type R unquestionably is.
“Traction out of the hairpin will undoubtedly help the rear wheel-drives, but I’m hopeful we can give them a good run for their money.”
Championship leader Shedden added: ““Croft is an interesting circuit. It’s a little bit like a game of two halves with a blend of slow, technical corners and really fast, high-adrenaline corners.”
