Jason Plato versus Matt Neal

The war of words between SEAT’s Jason Plato and reigning champion Matt Neal has begun before the season start. “Rather than Matt trying to play a wind-up game maybe he should prepare his car for the season. It might do him a bit better,” said Plato. “Jason’s got a few curve balls coming his way. The first is Darren, and Jason doesn’t like a team-mate being quicker than him,” said Neal.

Plato dismisses Neal “wind-up”
Jason Plato has dismissed Matt Neal’s claims that he won’t be able to handle the pressure from new SEAT team-mate Darren Turner in 2007’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.

Reigning champion Neal believes Turner’s arrival at SEAT, where he has been granted equal ‘number one’ status, could lead to Plato “self-destructing”.

Plato, said Neal, found it difficult to cope with inter-team rivalry, pointing to his break down in relationship with Frenchman Yvan Muller in 2001 when the pair fought a bitter title battle as Vauxhall team-mates.

But Plato, who won the title in 2001, hit back, saying: “If I recall I beat Yvan so I’m not quite sure what world Matt is living in. I’ve had to deal with strong team-mates all through my career.

“Rather than Matt trying to play a wind-up game maybe he should prepare his car for the season. It might do him a bit better.

“Everyone thinks SEAT is my team. It’s not my team at all. If you look at the statistics on who was quick and who wasn’t last year, when I had Darren and James Thompson as team-mates, it might tell the story.”

Plato is many people’s tip for the title in 2007 – his SEAT Leon, with which he won eight times last year, is the only front-running car that already complies with the BTCC’s new Super 2000 technical regulations.

Neal, meanwhile, has a mountain to climb if he’s to make it three titles in a row in his Team Halfords squad’s new Honda Civic that will go Sunday’s championship-opening rounds at Brands Hatch short on testing miles.

Neal: “Plato will self destruct”
Reigning champion Matt Neal has said arch rival Jason Plato will “self-destruct” in 2007 because he won’t be able to handle the pressure he’ll be under from new team-mate Darren Turner.

Ex-McLaren Formula 1 test team driver Turner has been granted equal ‘number one’ status alongside Plato in SEAT’s Dunlop British Touring Car squad.

And Neal believes the younger Turner’s speed and cool-headed approach could psychologically upset Plato.

Neal said: “I think you can bank on Jason self-destructing, but not so Darren.

“Jason’s got a few curve balls coming his way. The first is Darren, and Jason doesn’t like a team-mate being quicker than him – just look at the relationship he had with Yvan Muller when they were together at Vauxhall in 2001.

“The second curve ball is Fabrizio Giovanardi in the new Vauxhall Vectra – give him a sniff and the gloves will be off. I don’t think he gets on with Jason too well, but all right with Darren and he now knows the circuits.”

Neal, champion for the last two years, has tipped himself as “an outside bet” to make it three titles in a row after his Team Halfords squad’s new Honda Civic was late hitting the track for pre-season testing.

The 40-year-old added: “Maybe my team-mate Gordon Shedden and I will be extra curve balls for Jason and hopefully on our weekends we’ll be right there.

“On saying all that, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Jason’s right in the hunt at the final round – he’s a wily old fox.”