Neal happy with new engine, but needs more power

Matt Neal qualified fifth, running a new improved engine from Neil Brown Engineering at Silverstone, but says he needs more to compete with the Chevrolets.

With Gordon Shedden’s experiencing a problem before the weekend, Shedden’s running the original power unit. The new engine in Matt Neal’s car has 2.5mph maximum speed advantage on the old unit on the main straight, comparable with the difference between the Team Aon Focus & Chevrolet Cruze in qualifying – whilst carrying an additional 9kg than his team mate.

On how much of an improvement the new engine is, Matt said:

“It’s working alright, it’s just bit better than Flash’s, but you just need more.”

Matt expects it will be a weekend of damage limitation for the Honda Civic at Silverstone.

“It’s just a power circuit, and even if it rains, it’s not technical enough for us, as it’s just three corners and three straights”

No rain looks likely regardless on race day, with sunny conditions forecast across all three BTCC rounds today.