Honda Yuasa BTCC has a poor weekend with NO Wins or podiums during the three races.

• Halfords Yuasa Racing unrewarded for valiant Yorkshire effort
• Matt Neal keeps title tilt on-track with trio of points finishes
• Gordon Shedden’s wet-weather tyre gamble fails to pay off

Halfords Yuasa Racing endured a difficult weekend as the 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) travelled north-east to Croft, with both Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden fighting hard for scant reward.

 

Renowned as a circuit that favours rear wheel-drive machinery, Croft was always going to represent a challenge for the front wheel-drive Honda Civic Type R, but even allowing for that, Neal and Shedden were disappointed to line up 15^th and 17^th on the 32-strong grid for the opening encounter.

 

Neal moved through the field in race one to take the chequered flag 12^th, before evincing a solid turn-of-speed in race two as he homed in on the multi-car scrap over fifth until his tyres faded in the closing stages, leaving him tenth. The three-time champion concluded his weekend with an 11^th-place finish in a rain-plagued finale to leave Croft sitting third in the Drivers’ table, still firmly in the title fight.

 

Shedden lapped at a similar pace in races one and two as he tallied points-paying finishes in 15^th and 13^th – the former his 300^th BTCC start – before taking a gamble on slick rubber in race three. It was an audacious strategy that unfortunately didn’t pay off and the Scot was ultimately forced to pit to change over to wets, seeing him slip to ninth in the Drivers’ standings as Honda and Halfords Yuasa Racing maintained second spot in the Manufacturers’ and Teams’ classifications.

 

Matt Neal:

“It’s been a tough weekend and one I won’t be sorry to see the back of! We knew the rear wheel-drive cars would have an advantage at Croft, but we thought we would still be somewhere in or around the top six and that obviously wasn’t the case. In the circumstances, we got pretty much the maximum we could out of the car. I drove my heart out and race two was quite enjoyable; because we were struggling for straight-line speed, I had to work the tyres quite hard and that halted our progress in the closing stages. On the positive side, both cars came back in one piece when quite a few didn’t and we can now go away and regroup over the summer break. Believe me, we won’t be rolling over by any means!”

 

Gordon Shedden:

“We’ve not been on the pace all weekend which was certainly a surprise, because the Civic Type R is a very good package and was strong round here last year. Yes, Croft is traditionally a rear wheel-drive circuit, but other front wheel-drive cars did ok so I don’t subscribe to that excuse. In race three, knowing we couldn’t compete on outright pace, we decided to roll the dice because from where we were starting, we had nothing to lose. The bottom line is we weren’t good enough and there are clearly some elements missing that we need to put our finger on, but we have a decent break now that we will use to reassess, figure everything out and come up with an action plan for the second half of the season.”

The Halfords Yuasa Racing Honda Civic's are looking like they can do some serious damage to the competition.

• Halfords Yuasa Racing duo set sights on northern success
• Matt Neal confident Civic Type R can shine in Yorkshire
• Gordon Shedden keen to celebrate on landmark weekend

Halfords Yuasa Racing team-mates Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden are heading to Croft for the next outing on the 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship calendar with a strong haul of points firmly on their hit list.

Having claimed a commanding victory in the most recent race at Oulton Park – his second of the season behind the wheel of the potent Honda Civic Type R – Neal travels north-east just a single point adrift of the top of the Drivers’ classification. The three-time champion boasts a stellar record at Croft, with six successes to his name.

Shedden, meanwhile, celebrated his 100^th BTCC podium in North Yorkshire last year during the course of an impressively consistent weekend, and the Scot is primed to make his milestone 300^th start in the series 12 months on.

The defending title-holder currently sits fourth in the Drivers’ chase following a puncture in the final race at Oulton that robbed him of the runner-up spoils, with Halfords Yuasa Racing only one point shy of the lead in the Teams’ classification and Honda right in the fight for Manufacturers’ glory.

Matt Neal:

“Croft is a circuit I’ve always enjoyed; I love how close the fans get to the action there – they can really smell the burning brakes and rubber, which makes for a fantastic spectator experience. You need a good all-round package underneath you at Croft –traction in the slow-speed sections, agility through the tight-and-twisty parts and stability for the fast corners out the back, which call for a lot of commitment. They are all areas in which the Civic Type R scores highly, and we had a positive and productive test at Rockingham earlier this week which enabled us to get a solid handle on the car. If you look at how competitive it is in the standings, every point is critical this year – all it takes is one hiccough to send you tumbling down the order – so it’s essential that we stay focussed and continue consistently racking up the results.”

Gordon Shedden:

“Historically, we’ve gone pretty well around Croft; like Oulton, it’s a circuit that tends to favour rear wheel-drive cars, but we’ve generally led the way amongst the front wheel-drive brigade. There was some great racing there last year, and I’m sure we can expect more of the same again. It’s a fun circuit with a real mix of corners, which makes perfecting the car’s set-up quite a challenge – but one that I relish. Given how fiercely-disputed the BTCC is right now, every weekend is pivotal – it’s incredible to think we’ve already had nine different winners from the first 12 races! With that in mind, we have to be targeting three strong points finishes, which we would have had at Oulton but for the late puncture in race three. The cards haven’t particularly fallen my way in that respect recently, so hopefully we can turn that trend around.”

Challenging weekend for BTCC pace-setters ends on high note, however Honda has more negatives than positives at Thruxton.

• Challenging weekend for BTCC pace-setters ends on high note
• Matt Neal banishes early disappointment with late podium joy
• Gordon Shedden showcases awesome pace of Honda Civic Type R

Matt Neal kept himself and Halfords Yuasa Racing at the top of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship title standings with a fourth podium finish of the 2016 campaign at the end of a rollercoaster weekend at super-fast Thruxton.

After qualifying a tremendous third on maximum success ballast – only narrowly missing out in an enthralling scrap for pole position – Neal rapidly moved to the front of the field in a chaotic curtain-raiser.

The three-time champion later suffered a puncture as he exited the final chicane, damaging his steering and sending cars darting left and right in attempted avoidance. Team-mate Gordon Shedden was collected in the melee, having climbed into the top six from 11^th on the grid.

The race was red-flagged and the Halfords Yuasa Racing crew set swiftly to work to repair the two battered cars. Their heroic effort was richly repaid as Shedden stormed through the order from 23^rd on the grid in a shortened second encounter, demonstrating the prowess of the Honda Civic Type R and proving just why he is the reigning champion by pinching fourth position on the last lap.

‘Walking wounded’ Neal wound up 11^th, before both drivers starred in race three. By dint of staying out of trouble and stealthily picking up places, Neal capped his weekend on a positive note with the runner-up spoils to retain the championship lead – very nearly snatching victory at the chequered flag.

Shedden was challenging for second when he found himself sent sideways by a tag from a BMW, and after regaining lost ground, he was then struck by a second BMW on the run down to the final chicane, spelling a premature end to his race. Heading next to Oulton Park on 4/5 June, Neal tops the Drivers’ table with Shedden in fifth. Halfords Yuasa Racing continues to lead the Teams’ Classification, with Honda second in the Manufacturers’ chase.

Matt Neal:

“It was certainly good to finish on a high – it makes the journey home a lot more enjoyable – although in truth, it was a weekend that had promised so much more and I was staring down the barrel of a gun until the last race! Thruxton has always been a Honda circuit, and we proved that again with the ballast on-board in qualifying. I was surprised by just how strong we were carrying so much weight in race one and the puncture was nobody’s fault – I was being super careful over the kerbs and the car was running like a dream. The Halfords Yuasa Racing boys did a stellar job to get us out again for race two in the nick of time – they had to deal with not just one but two cars in a million pieces – and then I was able to open the Civic Type R up again in race three and was flying at the end. I would never have thought I’d leave here still leading the championship after the first two races, so all’s well that ends well, as they say.”

Gordon Shedden:

“It’s been a mixed weekend. What happened in race one was so unfortunate – simply wrong place, wrong time – but the Halfords Yuasa Racing team put in a monumental effort to repair both cars so quickly and to fight back the way we did in race two was mega. The Honda Civic Type R was incredible, and to make up almost 20 places was a real result – if the race had run to its original length, we could probably have finished on the podium. I felt like a bit of a BMW pinball in race three, and being taken out through no fault of my own was a hugely disappointing way to finish the weekend – particularly when the car was so strong and we were in the mix for another rostrum, which would have kept us towards the top of the standings. Still, at least it means we’ll go to Oulton Park with less ballast, so the key will be to capitalise on that.”

Halfords Yuasa Racing unveils striking 2016 livery at Donington Park, along with it's three drivers.

• Halfords Yuasa Racing unveils striking 2016 livery at Donington Park
• Experienced driving trio in Gordon Shedden, Matt Neal and Andy Neate
• BTCC campaign set to roar into life in less than two weeks’ time

The wraps came off Halfords Yuasa Racing’s 2016 Honda Civic Type R in spectacular style at Donington Park today (22 March), revealing the car that will bid to retain Honda’s drivers’ and manufacturers’ crowns in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.

In front of an avid media audience at the annual Season Launch, Halfords Yuasa Racing indubitably stole the show with a smoke-and-laser extravaganza that prefaced an evocative stroll down memory lane. Honda’s remarkable BTCC heritage and success was celebrated via archive video footage, capturing unforgettable scenes from the 2005, 2006, 2011, 2012 and 2015 campaigns – all years in which a factory Honda driver lifted the laurels.

Halfords Yuasa Racing is hard at work to maintain that victorious form in 2016, and led by a replica of the 2006 title-winning Integra Type R, the three new Civic Type R race cars emerged from the garage to a rapturous reception – in a striking and instantly iconic orange-and-black livery that will set them apart both on and off the circuit over the coming months.

The cars will be piloted by defending BTCC champion Gordon Shedden, three-time title-holder Matt Neal and new recruit Andy Neate. All three are bullish about their prospects.

“I’m feeling good and I’m feeling prepared,” affirmed Shedden, “although there’s no doubt that the competition will come thick and fast this year. We’ve had a lot to work through over the winter with the new RML components – it’s been a bit like starting again in that respect, but that’s part of the fun of developing a new car and everybody’s got the same box of bits to play with.

“This season marks ten years since I got my big break in the BTCC with Honda and Team Dynamics in a Halfords-sponsored Integra Type R, with Matt as the reigning champion and me the fresh-faced kid! It’s incredible to think that a partnership that was formed back in 2006 is still going so strong today – stronger than ever, in fact – and it’s nice to welcome Halfords back into the fold alongside our long-term partner Yuasa.

“This year represents a new challenge, and it is in just such situations that our collective strength as a team truly comes to the fore. If you were to name all the elements that constitute a successful team – from drivers to cars and mechanics to engineers – then I think you’d have to say we tick an awful lot of the boxes.”

“It’s been a flat-out winter,” concurred Neal. “The guys literally haven’t stopped. We’ve been collaborating closely with Neil Brown Engineering on the new engine, which is another big step forward. It’s cutting new ground and has massive potential – what it delivers in terms of drivability and mid-range power is phenomenal, and that’s very exciting.

“We are well aware that you can never rest on your laurels, and we’ll need to work harder than ever to stay ahead of the game. In four of the last five years, a Honda driver has walked away with the championship, so we certainly have a target on our backs for other teams to shoot at. That’s the territory that comes with success, though, and there’s no other position I’d rather be in.

“It’s brilliant to have Halfords back on-board and to have retained Yuasa’s equally vital support – and whilst it’s been a great journey so far, we’re confident the best is yet to come. The cars will certainly look very distinctive, and you know what they say about a car that looks fast...”

Neate joins Shedden and Neal at Halfords Yuasa Racing this season following a two-year absence from the cockpit, and he admits he was blown away by his first taste of the Honda Civic Type R when he tested it in Spain last month.

“It was fantastic to be back behind the wheel,” he enthused. “Everybody has welcomed me so openly and really made me feel part of the team at Halfords Yuasa Racing, which has made it easy to settle in. From organisation to attention-to-detail, you can see why Honda are the champions – I don’t think there’s any team in the paddock that does it better.

“The engineering side has done an absolutely amazing job with the car – the Civic Type R is just immense. The 2016 version is an improvement on last year’s model, which was already the BTCC benchmark – and we’ve only really scratched the surface of its potential so far. That bodes very well indeed for the months ahead.”

The first round of the 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship campaign will take place at Brands Hatch Indy in Kent on 2/3 April.