Honda Racing ready for season opener

The official Honda Racing entries of Matt Neal, Alan Morrison and Tom Chilton have completed a successful pre-season testing schedule and are ready for the start of the ten-round, 2003 Green Flag MSA British Touring Car Championship.

The trio of Honda Racing Civic Type Rs will line-up for the season opener at Mondello Park near Dublin over the Easter weekend. The objective is to challenge the other manufacturer-supported teams for one of the most coveted titles in motorsport. The signs are good and Honda Racing has assembled a highly competitive package for 2003.

“It’s all gone well during testing,” said new signing Matt Neal who finished third in last year’s championship and won one round at Mondello Park. “We’ve got a complete package of speed, handling and reliability and I’d be surprised if the other teams will have an edge over us. I haven’t signed for Honda Racing to make up the numbers and I think that we can be fighting for the title from the first round onwards.

“I’m looking forward to racing at Mondello Park. It will be good to see everyone driving in anger for the first time this year. I’m expecting it to be a real dogfight at the front, so it’ll be good to stretch our legs again after the winter break. I had a good run there last year and the circuit was kind to me. It’s a track that keeps you alert, because you really have to attack it and I quite like that approach.”

Thirty-six-year-old Neal is starting his 12th season in touring cars while his team-mates are relatively inexperienced. Alan Morrison was British Motocross Champion earlier in his motorsport career but since then the 32-year-old Ulsterman has made a successful switch to four wheels. In contrast, 18-year-old Tom Chilton is starting what he hopes will be a long and successful period behind the wheel of the Honda Racing Civic Type R.

“When you think of Honda, you think of racing and we’ve got a driving ambition to be successful,” said Morrison who won the last round of the series at Donington Park for Honda Racing in 2002. “I think that the development work carried out by the team during the winter has given us the best overall package in the championship. I’ve adopted a fresh approach to my preparations for the season and I’m really looking forward to the racing.

“Mondello Park is a bit like a home event for me. We tested there last week and it went very well indeed. Honda Racing is in good shape for the start of the season, but we won’t be taking anything for granted at Mondello. It’s quite a technical circuit and I find it demanding for the car and myself. However, the team has prepared itself extremely well and I’m looking forward to my second season in the Civic Type R.”

For his part, Chilton isn’t overawed by the prospect of a debut season with Honda Racing. “Testing has gone well and we’ve got a good race package to take to the first round,” he said. “The Civic Type R feels great and does exactly what I want it to do. My aim is to qualify and finish well at each round to claim a top five place [in the championship] at the end of the season.

“Hopefully that will start at Mondello Park this weekend. It’s quite a difficult track to get right, because you have to be so precise at every corner. If you get one turn wrong, then it can leave you out of position for the next one. That means there’s always close and exciting racing in Ireland, and anyone could win either race. I’ll be working hard with Honda Racing to ensure that I get two good point-scoring finishes to get my British Touring Car Championship season off to a positive start.”