Neal prepares for BTCC fight

Matt Neal is in fighting mood for the second half of the BTCC season, having earned himself a martial arts qualification. Currently third in the standings, trailing championship leader Colin Turkington by 25 points, Neal recently reached the First Dan level in Free Fighting, a legitimate form of street combat.

Speaking to the Official BTCC series website, btcc.net, Neal said “I got into fighting primarily to further my aerobic fitness and flexibility, but have now got quite into the whole ‘me versus you’ side of things as I’ve gone on. I’ve also been trained by an ex-special forces guy who used to train the African military in unarmed combat so, yep, I’m up for the fight!”

Neal, who is already training for his Second Dan certificate, has put a lot of hard work in his Free Fighting, training for up to four mornings a week for the past year.

The double BTCC champion added: “I’m really chuffed with myself but now begins the next hard grind of two years to get that Second Dan. I’m 42 now so I’ve figured by the time I get to Sixth Dan I’ll almost be a pensioner as it’s the same number of years to train for and pass whichever number Dan you’re after!”

Teammate Andrew Jordan is a brown belt in karate, and also a keen follower of the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC), although it remains to be seen whether the two VX Racing drivers will team up as a ‘tag team’ to take on the challenge of Team RAC before the seasons end!