Neal: We are right in the hunt

Halfords Yuasa Racing's Matt Neal is optimistic his 2018 Honda Civic Type-R will excel at this weekend's British Touring Car Championship round at Croft, as the three-time champion bids to make further inroads towards the championship summit.

Neal arrives at the fifth round of the season as the leading factory Honda driver sitting sixth in the drivers' table, 26-points shy of championship leader Colin Turkington.

The Team Dynamics driver secured the FK8 Civic Type-R's fifth podium of the year with second place in race two last time out at Oulton Park, but missed the opportunity to move further up the points table with a 14th place finish in race three.

“The championship is so close at the moment and we are right in the hunt, which is really exciting given we are achieving this with a brand-new car," said Neal.

"Importantly, we are learning what doesn’t work, as well as what does work, and we are gathering more and more information each time we race.

"There is no magic wand but to have a win, five podiums and a pole position as a team after only four rounds is fantastic, so my chin is up heading to Croft."

Having taken six previous victories at Croft in Honda machinery, Neal sees no reason why the latest Team Dynamics challenger can't match its predecessors this weekend.

"This is a technical circuit that has always demanded a good all-round package, which is why Honda has been so strong in the past and I have no doubt the Civic Type R (FK8) will also excel," Neal continued.

"It’ll be great to score another strong result ahead of the summer break so we can rest, refocus and plot our title push when racing resumes.”