Neal's 'dream start' to the season

By Sunday evening, all that was forgotten after Neal had taken pole and second in the two qualifying sessions for the opening races in the Auto Trader British Touring Car Championship.

In the session for the 36-lap Feature race, around the Donington Park National circuit, Neal took the first ever pole by an Independent runner, and followed it up with second in the One-Shot Showdown.

"Over the moon", was Neal's reaction to this turnaround. "Especially after Friday, we were treating today as one big test day. In the morning warm-up, the car didn't feel balanced, and we were struggling with it - and then this!"

Neal explained that he missed out on pole for the Sprint race because of a change to the car. "Our set-up for the warm-up was a bit tongue-in-cheek, because we haven't run here in the dry this year.

"The set-up for the morning qualifying was based on that, and was still a bit of a guess; and then, because we're always trying to improve the car, we changed the back of the car slightly for the afternoon session, and it was actually detrimental - it induced a 'hop' into the rear."

"I think my problem for tomorrow is two Hondas," Neal went on, referring to the Honda Accord pair of James Thompson and Peter Kox, immediately behind him on the Feature race grid. "They're pretty wild and pretty fast - I've simply got to stay in front of them at the start, because they are just so fast in a straight line.

"The car is pretty good at looking after its tyres, and we've got a pretty good race pace, so we'll have to see how things work out. I think the race will be won and lost by the first corner."

The works Nissan Primera drivers, David Leslie and Laurent Aiello, will start the Feature race from the back of the grid after assorted problems stopped them from setting a time. "I feel terrible for the works Nissan boys, because they've obviously had more than their fair share of bad luck this weekend, and they should obviously be up at the sharp end of the grid," said Neal.

"Having said that, it's allowed me an opportunity for my moment of glory, and I'm happy to grab it with both hands."