Matt Neal

Matt Neal
Nationality	British
Born	December 20, 1966 (1966-12-20) (age 44) Stourbridge (England)
2011 British Touring Car Championship
Debut season	1991
Current team	Honda Racing Team
Car no.	2
Former teams	VX Racing Peugeot Mazda Tech-Speed Motorsport Pyramid Motorsport
Starts	429
Wins	43
Poles	14
Fastest laps	40
Best finish	1st in 2005, 2006, 2011
Previous series
2001	European Super Touring
Championship titles
2005–06, 2011	BTCC
Awards
BRDC Silver Star

Matthew Neal (born 20 December 1966 in Stourbridge) is a British motor racing driver. He won the British Touring Car Championship in 2005, 2006 and 2011. He has also won a European Touring Car Championship race. He is 6' 6" (2 m) tall, making him almost entirely unable to race single-seaters. He is also the Group Marketing Director at Rimstock plc, the alloy wheel manufacturer founded by his father Steve.^[1]

Career

Neal demonstrates his Honda Integra at the 2005 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

He first entered the BTCC in the early 90s with his father's Team Dynamics squad, having co-driven a BMW M3 to victory at the 1990 Willhire 24 Hour race at Snetterton. He won the Total Cup for drivers without manufacturer support in 1993, before joining Mazda for a season cut short by a huge crash in round five at Silverstone. He rejoined Dynamics for 1995, remaining for several years and occasionally humbled the big names, as well as winning the Independents' title three further times. In 1999 he caused a sensation by winning a race at Donington Park in his Nissan, the first Independent to do so in the modern era, winning him a £250,000 prize. He took a further win a year later.

The championship's regulations changed for 2001, and Neal briefly joined Peugeot before sitting out most of the season. He returned with Vauxhall in 2002 and Honda in 2003, finishing 3rd in the championship both times, before rejoining Dynamics (now with Halfords sponsorship and coming 5th in 2004.

For 2005 the team developed a Honda Integra from its basic road-going form, which was an unusual move as independent teams have historically raced ex-works cars, but he eventually took the drivers' title in the last round at Brands Hatch. It is also to be noted that Neal finished every single race in the points, the first driver to do so since the calendar expanded to 30 races per year.

Neal won his second BTCC title in 2006.

Neal driving the Team Dynamics-run Honda Civic TypeR at the Snetterton round of the 2007 British Touring Car Championship season.

In 2006, Neal drove the #1 Honda Integra and captured the championship again with a string of consistent finishes; 4th place in round 28 being enough to clinch his second title. Ironically, after 2 years without a mechanical failure, Neal had a suspension failure before the start of the final race.

BTC-spec cars such as the Integra were no longer eligible for the main 2007 title, so Dynamics switched to a Honda Civic, using some of their existing running gear but doing development themselves. Neal won the third race of the season, but overall the SEAT and Vauxhall entries were faster, leaving Neal unable to fight for the title. A huge crash in race 1 of the second meeting at Brands Hatch left him briefly hospitalised; the lost points from this saw team-mate Gordon Shedden outpoint him to finish 3rd overall, with Neal 4th. He attracted controversy during the season's final race, in which Fabrizio Giovanardi and Jason Plato fought for the drivers' title. Having signed on as a Vauxhall driver for 2008, Neal let Vauxhall drivers Giovanardi and Tom Chilton through without a fight, but did not do the same for SEAT driver Plato, ensuring Giovanardi would win the title. Neal is known to not get along with Plato.

In his first year for VX Racing in 2008, Neal finished fifth in the standings, taking one win at Rockingham, while teammate Giovanardi retained his title. After a strong start to 2009, winning the opening race at Brands Hatch, he failed to win again all season, finishing fourth in the standings.

Neal returned to Team Dynamics for the 2010 season, now racing under the Honda Racing banner.

He now lives in Droitwich Spa in Worcestershire.

He has appeared on Top Gear, racing an Mitsubishi L300 motorhome in the tenth series.

In May 2009 he gave both the Beijing gold medallist and 2008 World Cycling Champion, Ed Clancy^[2] and double World Cycling Champion, Rob Hayles, masterclasses around Oulton Park in a Vauxhall Astra 888 road car, prepared by Triple Eight Engineering – the team behind VX Racing.^[3]

Fitness

Matt Neal has stated that he keeps fit through training in martial arts, which gives him better aerobic fitness and flexibility. In July 2009 Matt successfully achieved the grade of 1st dan black belt in the British Free Fighting Academy, after training with martial arts instructor Andy Hopwood.^[4]

Racing Record

Complete BTCC Results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Team	Car																															Position	Points
1991	Pyramid Motorsport	BMW M3	SIL	SNE	DON	THR	SIL	BH	SIL	DON		OUL	BH		DON	THR	SIL																30th	0
									13			Ret			DNS
1992	Rimstock Racing	BMW M3	SIL	THR	OUL	SNE	BH	DON		SIL	KNO		PEM	BH		DON	SIL																16th	5
			14	Ret	Ret	Ret	8	13	11	Ret	7	Ret	15	11	10	Ret
		BMW 318is															12
1993	Team Dynamics	BMW 318is	SIL	DON	SNE	DON	OUL	BHI		PEM	SIL	KNO		OUL	BHI	THR	DON		SIL														21st	3
			8	Ret	DNS	17	Ret	14	Ret	18	13	14	15	16	18
		BMW 318i														19	13	14	17
1994	Team Mazda	Mazda Xedos 6	THR	BHI		SNE	SIL		OUL	DON		BHGP		SIL	KNO		OUL	BHI		SIL		DON											23rd	1
			12	15	17	10	15	DNS
1995	Team Dynamics	Ford Mondeo Ghia	DON		BHI		THR		SIL		OUL		BHGP		DON		SIL	KNO		BHI		SNE		OUL		SIL							21st	12
			15	14	16	13	Ret	15	13	14	13	14	Ret	DNS	Ret	Ret	14	9	13	15	12	15	4	13	11	17	11
1996	Team Dynamics	Ford Mondeo Si	DON		BHI		THR		SIL		OUL		SNE		BHGP		SIL		KNO		OUL		THR		DON		BHI						22nd	1
					Ret	16	11	Ret	17	Ret			Ret	DNS			Ret	17	14	13	13	14	10	18	14	Ret	12	13
1997	Team Dynamics	Ford Mondeo	DON		SIL		THR		BHI		OUL		DON		CRO		KNO		SNE		THR		BHI		SIL								20th	0
			Ret	12	Ret	DNS	13	14	15	DNS	15	14
		Nissan Primera eGT											16	13	13	Ret	Ret	DNS	Ret	12	11	Ret	Ret	16	14	12
1998	Team Dynamics Max Power	Nissan Primera GT	THR		SIL		DON		BHI		OUL		DON		CRO		SNE		THR		KNO		BHI		OUL		SIL						13th	35
			Ret	10	Ret	16	5	9	Ret	5	Ret	14	Ret	6	12	15	Ret	Ret	12	Ret	8	Ret	9	5	12	7	DNS	Ret
1999	Max Power Racing Team Dynamics	Nissan Primera GT	DON		SIL		THR		BHI		OUL		DON		CRO		SNE		THR		KNO		BHI		OUL		SIL						9th	109
			5	1	4	Ret	3	Ret	Ret	3	10	2	9	7	10	5	7	10	6	Ret	7	Ret	5	10	6	10	Ret	6
2000	Team Dynamics Max Power Racing	Nissan Primera GT	BHGP		DON		THR		KNO		OUL		SIL		CRO		SNE		DON		BHI		OUL		SIL								8th	129
			10	Ret	8	8	7	Ret	4	5	6	9	4	Ret	3	3	5	8*	2	2	1	9	7	7*	5	7
2001	Peugeot Sport UK	Peugeot 306 Coupe	BHI		THR		OUL		SIL		MON		DON		KNO		SNE		CRO		OUL		SIL		DON		BHI						14th	11
			6	5
2002	egg:sport	Vauxhall Astra Coupe	BHGP		OUL		THR		SIL		MON		CRO		SNE		KNO		BHI		DON												3rd	145
			1	4	4	Ret*	2	3*	6	3*	1	3	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret*	1	4	4	8	3	Ret
2003	Honda Racing	Honda Civic Type R	MON		BHI		THR		SIL		ROC		CRO		SNE		BHI		DON		OUL												3rd	148
			Ret*	Ret	1*	7	2*	11*	Ret*	Ret	1*	Ret	1*	5*	4*	1*	4	Ret	1*	10	12	1*
2004	Computeach Racing with Halfords	Honda Civic Type R	THR			BHI			SIL			OUL			MON			CRO			KNO			BHGP			SNE			DON			5th	181
			2	Ret	9	1*	DNS	7	1*	8	8	3	4	2	4	10	Ret	3	5	Ret	9	2	8	1*	5	4	2	Ret	4	Ret	Ret	Ret
2005	Team Halfords	Honda Integra Type-R	DON			THR			BHI			OUL			CRO			MON			SNE			KNO			SIL			BHGP			1st	316
			1*	3	1*	3	2	4	1*	1*	6	2	1*	2	3	6	2	3	3	7	3	3	4	2	1*	2	9	4	7	4	3	5
2006	Team Halfords	Honda Integra Type-R	BHI			MON			OUL			THR			CRO			DON			SNE			KNO			BHI			SIL			1st	289
			3	3	Ret	1*	1*	3	4	1*	8	2	1*	2	3	1*	4	4	5	7	6	8	1*	2	5	1*	2	2	Ret	4	1*	DNS
2007	Team Halfords	Honda Civic	BHI			ROC			THR			CRO			OUL			DON			SNE			BHI			KNO			THR			4th	195
			3	5	1*	5	Ret	7	5	2	5	3	13	6	4	4	Ret	3	4	2	18	2	2	Ret	DNS	DNS	Ret	6	2*	5	3	5
2008	VX Racing	Vauxhall Vectra	BHI			ROC			DON			THR			CRO			SNE			OUL			KNO			SIL			BHI			5th	185
			5	7	3	3	11	1*	2	Ret	6	4	3	4	2	3	3	10	5	4	15	7	5	16	10	7	6	4	15	6	2	8
2009	VX Racing	Vauxhall Vectra	BHI			THR			DON			OUL			CRO			SNE			KNO			SIL			ROC			BHGP			4th	170
			1*	3	3	2	3	7	3	2	8	7	4	3	6	6	8	9	14	3	Ret	4	4	10	Ret	13	Ret	NC	Ret	5	8	5*
2010	Honda Racing Team	Honda Civic	THR			ROC			BHGP			OUL			CRO			SNE			SIL			KNO			DON			BHI			2nd	229
			12	2	Ret	1*	9	1*	5	Ret	2	8	2	1*	4	2*	Ret	Ret	9	3	8	5	4	4	1*	3	5	8	1*	3	2	Ret
2011	Honda Racing Team	Honda Civic	BHI			DON			THR			OUL			CRO			SNE			KNO			ROC			BHGP			SIL			1st	257
			Ret	7	1*	1*	3	7	2*	1*	5	8*	Ret	4	1*	1*	7	18	17	4	2	2*	4	4	3	6	18	7	1*	1*	2	8

References

1. ^ http://www.birminghampost.net/birmingham-business/birmingham-business-news/other-uk-business/2006/04/13/racer-matt-forced-off-track-65233-16942038/
2. ^ Southport Reporter
3. ^ Oulton Park
4. ^ "Neal making the right moves". British Touring Car Championship (TOCA). 23 July 2009. http://www.btcc.net/html/generalnews_detail.php?id=1556&month=0&year=2009&form=&searchterm=. Retrieved 26 March 2011. 

External links

• Neal's Official Website
• Profile from btcc.net

Sporting positions
Preceded by James Thompson	British Touring Car Champion 2005–2006	Succeeded by Fabrizio Giovanardi
Awards and achievements
Preceded by James Thompson	Autosport National Racing Driver of the Year 2005	Succeeded by Mike Conway

Persondata
Name	Neal, Matt
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	20 December 1966
Place of birth	Stourbridge (England)
Date of death
Place of death