Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship title contender Matt Neal h💯as vowed to keep his championship challenge on track despite suffering a hand injury during a martial arts training session.

The Honda driver has been diagnosed with a broken fifth metacarpal in his right hand after being inju🍌red while undertaking a street fighting examination over the course o꧒f the weekend.

The double champion ha🐠d topped the championship standings prior tꦉo the Snetterton race weekend but failure to score in two of the three races in Norfolk means he had slipped to third in the title race going into the seventh round of the campaign at Knockhill on the opening weekend in September.

"It's self-inflicted - I was sparring and I felt something was wrong," he told the official series website BTCC.net. "I knew I'd don🎐e something. It's just got worse from then - my hand ballooned up like a comedy hand - so I got myself to the hospital this morning.

"It feels very tender and my hand's in a splint. I've alꦗso had internal bleeding in my palm. I've got to go back to hospital the weekend before Knockhill to have it checked again. Of all the places it would have to be Knockhill next... a lovely twisty circuit where we have to fling the cars around. Snetꦐterton and now this...

"Luckily it's not my gearshift hand but I am feeling a bit ♏fed up."

However, despite the injury, Neal insists he will take his place on the grid in Scotland as he attempts to move back ahead of Mat Jack🙈son and team-mate Gordon Shedden in the stand🌺ings.

"I'll be racing ℱat Knockhill, no question about it," he said. "I might hav✃e to go and visit Dr Trafford (BTCC doctor) for some of his magic medicine."