Matt Neal says he is ready and raring to go in the second half of the HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship season as the VX Racing man seeks to become a three-time title winner.
Neal has enjoyed a solid start to the season in his new surroundings with the factory Vauxhall team having made the switch from Team Halfords over the winter and currently lies second in the standings – 23 points behind team-mate Fabrizio Giovanardi.
"It's gone better than expected I suppose," he told
Crash.net. "For performance speed wise, I'd like to have more, but to be second in the championship at the half-way point is a lot better than I thought going into a new team, with a new car and a tough team-mate."
Double champion Neal is currently taking part in testing at
Snetterton ahead of the resumption of racing at the Norfolk venue, and while he admitted that the six-week summer break had been nice, he said he was ready to get back behind the wheel.
"I do enjoy the six-week break because the job is quite stressful, so the break can be quite nice," he said. "But we have a test at Snetterton this week and I'm looking forward to getting back behind the wheel. In the Snetterton race, I think the car should go well but then again the SEATs, BMWs and Hondas will also be strong.
"I just keep my head down and look at every race individually to see if we can score points and see what lady luck brings us. Nothing is unachievable and we are only half way through the season and there are plenty of points to play for so there is a long way to go yet."
