Reigning Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Champion Matt Neal says he needs to be "flat out and on the double" at Oulton Park this coming Sunday (14 May) as he continues his pursuit of a second consecutive title.
Neal won twice at Mondello Park three weeks ago - once even when his car was carrying maximum ballast - to take the lead of Britain's most famous motor racing championship.
But at Oulton the championship leader fears that it will be more difficult to hold on ahead of closest title rivals, Team RAC MG driver Colin Turkington and SEAT team-mates James Thompson and Jason Plato.
Neal, driving a Team Halfords Honda Integra, said: "The races these days are short sprints and qualifying well for the first race is really important.
"Because I'm leading, I'll go into qualifying still with maximum ballast and that could make life difficult.
"On top of that, Mondello is twisty so staying in front with the extra weight is possible. Oulton is wider and flows more. It's going to be pretty tough.
"There's only one way to go - flat out and score as many points as possible. I might have got back into the lead of the championship, but you can't afford to back off and cruise. It's way too early in the season to think like that. Right now, every point and every place earned matters. You've got to be on the double."
Neal believes Thompson, Plato, Turkington and the latter's RAC team-mate Robert Collard will be his biggest threats at Oulton - the North-West's only BTCC race meeting of the year. It could also, he reckons, be a pointer towards how the form book will pan out over the rest of the season.
"Those four will all be absolutely on it this weekend," adds Neal, a winner at Oulton in his Honda last year.
"I've said before that I see Jason as the big threat ultimately, but Colin's only two points adrift of me and it'd be foolish to rule him out. He's struggled at Oulton before so it'll be interesting to see if he can come good this time. Certainly, that MG is competitive and if he does show well at Oulton then it's a sign he'll be strong for the remainder of the year.
"Colin also knows how to win races, but the championship is a different thing. Come the second half of the season the pressure does start to get a bit intense. In that respect, Jason is a proven commodity, whereas Colin isn't so we'll see how he copes with it."
The BTCC will be in race action three times at Oulton Park on Sunday and the crowds will also be able to meet the drivers for autographs and give-aways during the hugely popular Pit Lane Walkabout. In addition, there will be a further six championship races from high-profile manufacturers BMW, Porsche, Renault and SEAT.
