The Sandbag Times Issue No: 34

Drivers’ Standings
1. Colin Turkington 265 points
2. Ashley Sutton, 261
3, Gordon Sheddon, 253
4. Rob Collard, 248
5. Tom Ingram, 204
6. Matt Neal, 172
Manufacturers’ Standings
1. BMW, 589 points
2. Honda, 513
3. Subaru, 511
4. Vauxhall, 389
5. MG, 243
Teams’ Standings
1. Team BMW, 501 points
2. Halfords Yuasa Racing, 420
3. Adrian Flux Subaru Racing, 363
4. Speedworks Motorsport, 202
5. Eurotech Racing, 161
Dear, oh dear. Matt just cannot get a break.
I really felt for him on Saturday whilst
watching the qualifying for the Knockhill
round of this years BTCC. I think the only
thing that actually got worn out on the car
was his headlights and the flashing lever. No
matter how hard he tried he could not get a
clear lap to get a decent time down and in
the end ended up 21st on the grid.
Race 1 was something to behold, from 21st
on the grid, he carved his way through the
traffic to finish 9th. Memories from the last
race with Gordon Sheddon doing something
similar.
Race 2 started off with complete mayhem
with a nasty little pile up taking many of the
drivers out on the first lap, Matt took a nasty
shunt in the rear which didn’t do his car too
much good for the restart after the red flag.
However, a fight for 7th position with rookie
Josh Price saw Matt spinning off into the
gravel. This meant he was demoted to 23rd
place for the start of the final race of the day.
Race 3 really proved the determination and
competitive spirit of Matt Neal. .From 23rd
on the grid, Matt carved through the traffic
like the proverbial knife through butter. The
Halfords Yuasa Honda Civic R was truly on
fire and made light work of a great number of
very talented drivers. The result was an 8th
place finish. So well driven Matt, no podiums
but be proud of the way you drove Luck will
change in time and wins will happen. They
must.
Matt’s team mate Gordon Sheddon also had
a bit of a mixed weekend with an 11th, 6th
and then finally a 2nd place podium.
The low point of the weekend, I have to
admit was watching Louise Goodman
interviewing Jason Plato. That guy seriously
needs to learn how to talk on TV without
swearing and coming out with insultive hand
gestures. Day time TV Mr Plato!!, Kids are
watching. Act like a man and not a spoilt
brat. Most of all, learn some respect.
Anyway, here’s Matt:
"We were pleased to salvage a few good
results at Snetterton last time out as it was
a really tricky weekend. It always felt like a
bit of damage limitation there but we’re very
much in the hunt at this stage of the season
– it’s extremely close. Personally, I just
need a bit of luck on my side, but at least
we go into the event at Knockhill with a
lighter car than some of our rivals. I’m
extremely hungry and despite there being a
bit of a points deficit, it is far from over!
Knockhill is completely different from
anything else on the calendar and it’s quite
a crazy challenge for all of us. It’s extremely
close out there and every fraction of a
second counts, particularly with it being
such a tight and twisty track." Looking
forward to Rockingham in 2 weeks.
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