The combination of maximum ballast and the tight, twisty Indy Circuit made today’s qualifying session difficult for all Honda Racing drivers for rounds 15 and 16 of the Green Flag MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) at Brands Hatch Indy Circuit this afternoon.

As the 2003 BTCC season reaches an exciting climax, 36-year-old Matt Neal will start tomorrow’s race in sixth position on the third row of the grid – the first time this season that he has not qualified on the front row. Eighteen-year-old Tom Chilton is just behind him in seventh, while Ulsterman, Alan Morrison is in eleventh place in the third Honda Civic Type R.

Matt Neal: “I’m disappointed to break my front row record and to be back on the third row but I’m still pretty happy with my time. I’m only three tenths of a second behind pole and the top 15 drivers out there were all very close. It was difficult because I was carrying the maximum 66 kilos of ballast – having won the second race at Snetterton. Tomorrow it will be a case of trying to make good pit stops and seeing what we can do to improve things for the second race.”

Tom Chilton: “I was struggling all the way through practice this morning. I just couldn’t seem to get a package that I was happy with, so when it came to qualifying we just came up with something that we thought might work and I decided to go out there and really go for it. This is a really short track and very tight and twisty too. There was a lot of traffic but I’m happy with the time and I just want to get the best possible start tomorrow and see what happens.”

Alan Morrison: “The Honda Civic Type R has been getting better with every race and the car felt really good again today – it was just hard to get a clear lap. It was a combination of the weight and the fact that this is such a short, twisty track. I need to try and get a good start and do the best I can but I know that I will have to work very hard in the race tomorrow.”