He may be the reigning champion but Matt Neal looks set to have a tough season ahead of him in 2007. His all-new Super 2000 specification Honda Civic is yet to turn a wheel, leaving Team Halfords playing catch-up from the outset.

“I think it’s going to be pretty tough”, said Neal. “The timescale we’ve got for testing the car and the strength and depth of the opposition...it’s going to be a tough year all round.”

Having driven the dominant Integra for the past two seasons, as well as a Vauxhall Astra Coupe in 2002, Neal knows what makes a championship-winning car.

“There’s so many variables involved in developing a car”, he says. “You do need an element of luck to hit the sweet spot early on. Triple Eight did a fantastic job with the first Astra and they weren’t lucky enough to do it with the second Astra. We were lucky to do it with the Integra and all we need is that luck again to do it with the Civic.”

Luck will only go so far towards retaining the title for Neal and Team Halfords, and with both SEAT and Vauxhall heading into the new season with significant testing mileage under their belts, the Civic needs to be quick out of the box.

“It’s a great little package and we’ve got some really exciting stuff on there. We’ve got good power out of the engine, which I’m sure you’ll be hearing everyone say at some point. But you do need an element of luck to hit the road running.”

With two consecutive titles, Neal has joined an elite BTCC club. To go one better would be quite an achievement - three in a row has been achieved only three times before. The last time was more than 20 years ago when Andy Rouse won in 1983, ’84 and ’85. It’s not a thought at the front of Neal’s mind as he starts the new season.

“I still almost don’t think of myself as champion”, said Neal. “As soon as we finished last year, I was focusing on 2007 and what we were going to do. It’s something my dad’s instilled in me. I just want to look forward and try to do it again. I’ve got the taste for winning and it’s quite a nice taste.”