Matt Neal Q&A

"It's certainly different...If you speak to any racing driver, they always want their cars to be faster and have more grip, so to take a retro step is always going to be difficult. But if you look at what the organisers set out to achieve and what they have actually achieved, then it's a success. There's a little less grip around the corners and longer braking distances, so it should bring back closer racing. Personally, I get off on the combat side of touring cars, the cut and thrust of the racing, and this will promote more of that. So for me that's great. I love it."



"I did get a thrill out of being the underdog, as everyone on the team did. My Dad has been blowing hot and cold about me moving up. In one respect it's a dream for him to have me in a works drive, but in another respect it has broken up our little team. There was an awful lot of camaraderie there, and to be honest I've blown hot and cold about it as well. I've come to a crossroads in my career and this was a great opportunity and I thought that if I don't take it now, I might never get it again. Sometimes you have to look at the bigger picture and I want to have a crack at the overall title."



"With Dynamics, we had got absolutely everything sussed - the sponsorship, the car, the competition, the promotion, absolutely everything and we could have a crack at the big boys all the time. But things were going to change whether we liked it or not. The championship, the cars, the regulations, they were all changing and there was nothing we could do about it."



"Yeah, the whole thing was completely out of whack on the cost, for privateers as well as works teams. I think the manufacturers and the sponsors still see the series as a great marketing tool, and a great way of selling a product, but it just wasn't cost effective any more. So what they've done now is re-write the regulations to make everything cheaper and now it is cost effective and it's a great way of marketing the products again. Some have already jumped back in, and other manufacturers will follow. It will take a while, but it will get big again and I think it's going to be as big as the mid nineties."



"Of course. The whole thing works in cycles. When we go down to Australia to race at Bathurst, they're always saying 'we've got the best championship because we're in control of everything' but they've only got two manufacturers to worry about. And the difference from when I went there in 1997-98 and now is absolutely massive in terms of the amount of money being poured into it. And it will just get out of hand. The cars are absolutely fantastic to drive, but there's no overtaking. When I overtook someone the locals said 'nobody does that down here.'



"People want to see action and they want to see over-taking. People want carnage, not that we all want that because it costs money, but it's want the public want. I remember as a kid I used to come back from races and say 'cor there was a great accident at the corner where I was standing.' They want to see door handling and panel beating - that's what put bums on seats."



"I wouldn't have taken the plunge if I didn't think I had a chance at the title. Unfortunately, everything is so new that you don't know what the teams are going to be like, what the cars are going to be like, who's going to have the edge...But I think I'm going to have as good a chance as anyone. It's up to me to try and push hard and stamp my mark in the Peugeot hierachy, because they will choose somebody to back."



"Ultimately, yes they will. I think we will all start equal and should stay that way until mid-season, but I know that sub-consciously they will already have their one, two and three, even though they won't admit it to me or even themselves. So I'm going to be there trying to groove the line to try and persuade them that I should be the one they back for the championship, right from the first race."



"Sure it's worrying. At the moment it seems they're using a sledgehammer to crack an egg. They started the car early and they're hitting it with a lot of money and it is definitely going to be hard to get one over on them. But we're very serious about taking them on - we'll see.



"There's going to be more than 20 cars to fight through when we come to lap the Production cars, so it's going to be tough. I think we could see the top class B cars beating some of the class A cars, but I don't want to say that now, because I could be one of the guys getting beaten..."