Special Donington Park Memories for Honda
Racing
03 September 2003
The penultimate event in the 2003 British Touring Car
Championship takes place at the Donington Park Grand Prix circuit
this weekend with Honda Racing’s three drivers sharing a common
goal – to improve their respective positions overall. The 15th
and 16th rounds of the series at Brands Hatch brought mixed fortunes
for Matt Neal, Alan Morrison and Tom Chilton in their Civic Type Rs,
but they are confident of success at Donington Park.
Neal has been in superb form during his first season with Honda Racing.
He has won four races and qualified on the front row of the grid at
seven of the eight events to date. However, after finishing a hard fought
fourth in the first race at Brands Hatch, he was forced off the track
on the first lap of race two at Paddock Hill Bend and into early retirement.
That has left the 36-year-old Worcestershire star fourth in the drivers’
championship – five points behind Paul O’Neill.
“There’s no doubt that bad luck came back to haunt us at
Brands Hatch,” said Neal. “We had a car that was capable
of winning the second race, but it didn’t help when I was helped
off at the first corner. On the plus side, I won’t be carrying
any weight for qualifying and the first race at Donington. I also have
an intimate knowledge of the track, so I’m hopeful of success.
“I have special memories of Donington Park as it was the scene
of my first BTCC race win in 1999. That was the best moment of my career
so far and one that I hope to repeat this weekend. I love the fast
flowing corners of Donington and they will suit the handling characteristics
of the Honda Racing Civic Type R.”
Another driver also took Alan Morrison out of one of the races at Brands
Hatch. However, he bounced back in the second race to take his fifth
podium finish of what has turned out be an eventful season for the 32-year-old
Ulsterman. He now trails Neal by 15 points and lies sixth in the championship,
but hasn’t given up hope of an overall top three finish.
“Brands Hatch was probably my most frustrating event of the year,”
said Morrison. “The third place in race two was a bonus and the
extra weight that I’ll be carrying won’t be such an issue
because there aren’t so many slow corners at Donington. My goal
over the last four races of the season is to improve on my sixth place,
which I believe I’m capable of – there’s still a lot
to play for.
“I won my first BTCC race at Donington Park last year in the Civic
Type R and it was also the scene of my first ever motor race in 1998. I
guess it won’t come as any surprise to learn that it’s also
my favourite circuit. So, I’ll be even more fired up than
usual to record my first win of the 2003 season.”
Seventh and eighth positions for Tom Chilton on his favourite circuit
– Brands Hatch – weren’t enough for him to maintain
his top eight position in the championship. The 18-year-old Surrey driver
has now lost ground on the two race winners at the Kent circuit. Warren
Hughes and Colin Turkington are now 14 and eight points respectively
ahead of the Honda Racing rookie, but he is still hoping to improve
on his championship position.
“My objective at Donington is to score as many points as I need
to move up the points table,” said Chilton. “To do that
I’ve got to qualify well and get a good start in each race. My
preparations for the event have been going well and I’m looking
forward to the challenge of competing at Donington for the first time
in a Civic Type R.
“The three-day event schedule suits me and I hope that this will
be reflected in my performance. You have the opportunity to work on
a good set-up on day one, before sleeping on it and making the necessary
improvements for the perfect car in qualifying. It’s a good
track for Honda Racing – as Alan proved last year – and
it suits my driving style too.”
See series calendar for British
Touring Car Championship
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