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HONDA YUASA RACING'S NEAL AND SHEDDEN READY FOR MORE WINS AFTER BREAK



Matt Neal and Gordon ‘Flash’ Shedden will be defending their lead in the MSA Dunlop British Touring Car Championship as the Honda Yuasa Racing Team heads to Snetterton this weekend.

After a long summer break, the duo will be making its second race visit to the 300 version of the Norfolk circuit, this time with the title-leading NGTC Honda Civics.

Despite being at the top of the table, the squad has been working hard over the break so that it can continue its fine run. Work has been ongoing with the chassis as the boost restrictions in the series are still limiting the Civic’s straightline speed.

“Our engines have been away for a check over and we’ve been tweaking bits and bobs,” says points leader and reigning champion Neal. “Everyone’s learning the NGTC package and we’ve had the best grip of it so far, and we’ve got a few new bits to try.”

The triple champion had a difficult time at Snetterton last year on his way to the title, but he still likes the new layout, which was used for the first time in the BTCC in 2011.

“We’ll get left on the straights at Snetterton, so we’ll have to work in the corners,” he said. “[MG driver and rival] Jason Plato will be there, and so will the Fords, but we should be in the mix again.

“The 300 circuit still has long straights, but it’s more technical than the old layout, which should help us. I enjoy it – I loved the old circuit, but I like the new one even better. It’s challenging.”

Shedden, who is just one point behind Neal in the drivers’ table, did win a race at Snetterton last year and is not worried about the lack of testing he has had since the last BTCC round at Croft.

“We had quite a few things we needed to make changes too and we focused on those rather than running,” he said.

“There are a lot of corners at Snetterton, but there are a lot of straights too. You’re flat in sixth on the start/finish straight, again on the straight behind the pits, and again on the Bentley Straight. It’ll make it a bit tricky, but we’ll have to make the most of the corners.

“It’ll be the usual suspects and I can see the Fords and BMWs being quick. The racing was quite good last year, but it’s quite easy to defend.”

As well as leading the drivers’ table with its two stars, the Honda Yuasa Racing Team leads the team’s table and the manufacturers’ championship heading into the weekend.

The Snetterton action gets under way at 09:35am on Saturday with free practice. Qualifying is at 3:15pm, and the first of three races on Sunday is scheduled for 12:00.

In addition to heading to the circuit or watching ITV4’s live BTCC TV coverage, fans can also follow Honda Yuasa Racing’s exploits on Facebook and Twitter for news and race results as the action happens - www.facebook.com/HondaRacingBTCC and www.twitter.com/hondaracingbtcc

MG KX MOMENTUM RACING AND THE BTCC IS BACK



The MG KX Momentum Racing team is back on track this weekend as the 2012 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) resumes racing after a six week summer break. The Snetterton circuit in Norfolk will play host to rounds 16, 17 and 18 of the series, as the championship battle re-commences.

It was a weekend of highs and lows for Jason Plato last time out at Croft, as technical gremlins within the MG6 continued to blight the Triple Eight team’s progress. Failure to see Jason take the start of Race One was disappointing for the MG KX Momentum Racing Team, however the squad was sent into the summer break happy as the double BTCC champion fought back to win Race Three in spectacular style.

Andy Neate recorded his strongest BTCC weekend to-date with the MG6 at Croft, when he brought the car home for points paying finishes in all three races. It could have been even better for the young Englishman though, as he had impressively led Round Fifteen for the majority of the race.

Having had a chance to catch their breath following the team’s late start to the season’s preparations, the second half of the BTCC season gives the MG KX Momentum Racing squad a chance to build on the team’s positive first six months of existence. The team will now look to push the established squads for glory, in what is still their maiden campaign. The charge towards the finish starts at Snetterton this weekend!

Jason Plato (#99), BTCC Standings 3rd – 192 points:

“Our summer break has been long, the batteries are well and truly re-charged, the team are well prepared; I feel strong and very motivated. Our season starts at Snetterton! I am confident that our recent developments with the MG6 GT will not only improve our speed, but also our race performance. I feel some race wins coming this weekend.”

Andy Neate (#44), BTCC Standings: 17th – 46 points:

“The Croft race-weekend seems a long while ago now, my memory of it is very positive though with a triple points finish and having the pace to lead Race Three from the front for so long. I’m taking those positives into the second half of the season and am determined to get the results that the car, and I, are capable of.“

Ian Harrison, Team Principal, BTCC Standings: Teams - 4th – 235 points, Manufacturers – 2nd - 360 points:

“The summer break has been a good chance for the team to re-group before heading into battle for the second half of the season. It hasn’t been time off and holidays for us at Triple Eight though, we’ve been working hard to get on top of the new MG6 and do a little bit of testing. This should hopefully see us unlock some more potential in the car and challenge at the front – which is the only place we want to be.”