HONDA Racing Team duo Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden head to Brands Hatch today with the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship title in the balance.

The Pershore-based pair both have 204 points at the top of the leaderboard and are in pole position with their Civics for the crown ahead of tomorrow’s penultimate round of three races in Kent.

Nearest rival Jason Plato, who won the title last year, is 24 points adrift in third place in his Silverline Chevrolet Cruze.

Mathematically, seven drivers can still win the championship, with the other four being Mat Jackson (Airwaves Racing Ford Focus), James Nash (888 Racing with Collins Contractors Vauxhall Vectra), Andrew Jordan (Pirtek Racing Vauxhall Vectra) and Robert Collard (WSR BMW 320si).

A record-equalling 29-car grid is set to contest this weekend’s action.

Only once since the BTCC’s switch in 1991 to an all two-litre formula have numbers been so high, which was the supporting race at the British Grand Prix in 1993 at Silverstone.

Among them will be 17-year-old Chris Swanwick who will make his BTCC debut in a second Rob Austin Racing Audi A4.

Also based in Pershore, Rob Austin Racing made their mark during the last round at Rockingham when the team principal secured second place in the third race.

Swanwick’s arrival means the grid will include five of the latest Next Generation Touring Car machines.

Honda have also confirmed they will switch to full NGTC-specification cars in 2012.