Matt Neal fine after Brands crash

Team Dynamics is in a race against time to build Matt Neal a new car for Knockhill’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship rounds on Sunday 2 September following his massive accident yesterday at Brands Hatch.

Reigning champion Neal today declared himself “fine” after needing hospital treatment for whiplash injuries to his neck in the shunt on the opening lap of race one, which included another ten drivers.

But his Honda Civic was wrecked in the smash and now his family’s Dynamics squad, that runs the Team Halfords BTCC programme, is working flat-out to build him a new car for the journey to Scotland.

Neal told BTCC.net: “Fortunately, the team had started work on another shell in case of this eventuality, but then had stopped working on it. This morning the lads were all straight back on it and they reckon there’s a week’s worth of work just to get to the stage we need it. It’s going to be tight, but they’re a very determined lot.

“My race car is finished. The more bits they take off it the more bent bits they find.”

Neal’s Team Halfords Honda ran into the back of Mat Jackson’s spinning Jacksons MSport BMW and was then rammed from behind by the unsighted Dave Pinkney’s Alfa Romeo. Both Neal and Pinkney required a check-over in hospital following the impact.

Neal said: “The doctor needed to check both of us with a procedure that I’ll not go into. Dave was in the bed opposite to me and let’s just say he was a lot more vocal about it than I was! Then again, it probably wasn’t going to be too uncomfortable for me – I’d just had an Alfa Romeo up my backside!”

Of the accident, he added: “That is the biggest hit I’ve ever had. I saw Mat getting out of shape, but then lost sight of him. We all lifted because nobody knew where he’d go. Then he appeared from in front of my team-mate Gordon who managed to jink left and missed him by millimetres. I had nowhere to go.

“But the impact with Mat wasn’t that heavy. If that’s all it had been then there wouldn’t have been much damage. But then I saw Dave in my mirrors and shut my eyes. I instantly had a headache. I felt like I’d taken an upper cut from Mike Tyson. I literally saw stars.

“But I slept OK and today feel fine. I’m just a bit sore, that’s all…”