btcc:action Snetterton Preview

As the BTCC heads to Norfolk this weekend, Team RAC’s Colin Turkington is in an optimistic mood. For at the last meeting at Donington Park, the Irishman took 15 points out of series rival Matt Neal’s championship lead, reducing the gap to just 22 points. The plan, says Turkington, is to achieve the same goals again at Snetterton - “My plan is to do what I did at Donington – qualify on the front row of the grid and hit the podium as many times as I can in the three races.”

But it won’t be as easy as last time out at Snetterton, for Team Halfords have responded to the championship threat in a similar way to last year - they’ve brought in a third car to be driven by Gareth Howell. Unlike 2005, however, Howell will get to contest the final 12 rounds of this season, although initally he is expected to be less competitive than the other Integra’s due to the ‘newcomers ballast’ that he must carry for being a late championship entry. But Howell is still eager to get back into the BTCC and taste the victory champagne as he did at the end of 2005 - “My car is ready and so am I. I’ve never been up for it as I am now.”

Championship leader Matt Neal will be hoping to get immediately back on form as he suffered his worst weekend of the year last time out at Donington Park. But Neal, 39, is trying to forget the events of Donington and move on. “I’m going to Snetterton with a very positive attitude rather than licking my wounds from Donington. I’m not happy about what happened, but I just need to move on.” The Honda Integra’s are expected to be one of the quickest cars around the high-speed Snetterton circuit due to their streamlined shape, but the MG ZS’ fielded by Team RAC are also fast cars which have improved once again in 2006. “The MG has always been quick in a straight line and this year it seems to have found some more”, says Neal. “His [Turkington] car is doing well and so is he.”