DRIVING ace Matt Neal begins his defence of the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) title he won so emphatically last year at Brands Hatch on Sunday.British Touring Car Champion Matt Neat is gearing up for the new season.

Neal, aged 39, will be aiming to make a strong start in his Honda Integra if he wants to be the first driver in almost 20-years to retain the BTCC title for a second season in a row.

Despite going into a new season in the unfamiliar position as champion Neal is relishing the challenge.

He said: "You'd think with all the years I've been doing this I'd be as cool as a cucumber, but I still get the nerves just thinking about it. Not because of the occasion, but because I still want to do well and be a contender.

"I don't find it different just because I'm the reigning champion. In fact, being champion means I've effectively painted a target on my car.

"Everyone wants to beat the champion and if someone sees number one on your car then you're the biggest scalp out there to be claimed. But I've partnered younger drivers for a few years now and they're always out to be top dog, so this is not a new experience for me."

Neal comes to the championship in good form and in confident mood after his Honda Integra set the fastest time at the official BTCC test last week.

However, Neal was not about to be carried away by testing.

He said: "We were fastest and the car felt good but who knows what the other teams were thinking? They might be keeping something in reserve for the race.

"I think the Seats and the Vauxhalls are going to be my big rivals. They have both put a lot of work into their cars. But we've been working hard on the Honda and made some radical changes."

Neal though is confident that Brands Hatch is the perfect place to launch his title defence.

He said: "The circuit should suit us. It's a circuit where I've always gone well and we've got the Honda working well around there. If we're going to be strong anywhere, it's at Brands Hatch."

Neal will have a new teammate to compete against as Gordon Sheddon replaced Tom Chilton.

The BTTC has revamped its third race, with a lucky dip to select whether the first six, eight, or ten finishers from the second races are swapped around on the starting grid for the third race.

By Peter McKinney