The Fast and the Furious could be an apt title for the 13th and 14th rounds of the British Touring Car Championship at Snetterton on 8-9 August. The 1.95-mile Norfolk circuit is one of the fastest racetracks in the country and the action will certainly be furious for Saturday’s two, 25-lap races.

Honda Racing’s Matt Neal won round 11 at Croft last month – his third victory of the 2003 season – and the 36-year-old Worcestershire driver will certainly start as one of the hot favourites at Snetterton. The Honda Racing Civic Type R, in the capable hands of Neal and his team-mates Alan Morrison and Tom Chilton, is more than capable of mixing it with the other leading entries.

A bizarre run of misfortune has left the Honda Racing trio further behind championship leader Yvan Muller than they would have liked at this stage of the season. However, there is no doubt that the three Honda drivers are the championship’s biggest threat to the Frenchman and his team-mates James Thompson and Paul O’Neill.

Morrison is in the hunt for a top three position in the championship, however the 32-year-old Ulsterman’s biggest challenger is likely to be Neal. A race win would certainly help Morrison’s cause and he has already been close to getting his first victory of the season in the last two events at Rockingham and Croft.

Tom Chilton has also shown a gradual improvement in his qualifying and racing performances this season. The 18-year-old Surrey driver is benefiting from the experience of his team-mates and will be looking to upstage them for his debut win in the series.

Matt Neal: “The Civic Type R has loads of top-end power and runs through the faster corners really well. Therefore, Snetterton should be a good circuit for us. It’s going to be close racing but I think that we’ll be at the sharp end of the action.

“I’d like to double the number of race wins that I’ve had so far this year and hopefully secure third place in the championship. It’s all a question of keeping the pressure on those drivers in front of us and then you never know what might happen.

“If I do well in the first race I’d like to follow it with a good performance in the second – which has eluded me so far this season, mainly through bad luck. I won at Thruxton and was leading the second leg when I was forced off the track with a puncture.”

Alan Morrison: “Snetterton was one of my better circuits last year in the Civic Type R. I was challenging for the lead when I had a blowout on the front left tyre. Hopefully, I’ll have a bit more luck this year – I could certainly do with it!

“I’m aiming to finish in the top three in the championship and to win some races for Honda Racing. I know the speed is in me – and the car – from the results and performances we’ve had this year. All we need now is a bit of Irish luck to turn things around.”

Tom Chilton: “Honda Racing tested at Snetterton during pre-season and it was a useful work-out with this round in mind. The knowledge I have from that, coupled with the speed and performance of the Civic Type R, leads me to believe that I’ve got a really good chance of success.

“I’m desperate for a race win but before I do that I need to be on the front two rows and get a good start. With the help of my chief engineer Richard Owen I’ve been getting faster and faster with every round of the championship. We learnt lots about the car and we should be able to get the set-up just right for Snetterton.”