Front row start for Shedden in BTCC

Fifer Gordon Shedden will start from the front row of the grid for the opening race of tomorrow’s British Touring Car Championship triple-header at Oulton Park. The 31-year-old missed out on pole position at the Cheshire track by just 0.020secs.

“Aye, it would have been nice to have qualified on pole position,” the Dalgety Bay racer said after parking his Team Honda Civic, “but I made just one tiny mistake on my fastest lap and that was enough to put me back into second.

“But we’re racy this weekend and hopefully we can finally bag our first win of the year. The car’s certainly fast enough. I’ve won at Oulton every year I’ve raced in BTCC and hopefully I’ll continue that tomorrow. All I need is a that little bit of luck I haven’t had so far this year.

“I’m just 17 points behind the leaders, so I want three big scores to push me to the front of the championship and given the developments we have made on the car I am confident I can win tomorrow.”

Shedden, whose team-mate and double champ Matt Neal could only manage seventh-quickest, starts alongside the Ford Focus of polesitter Tom Onslow-Cole who topped the timesheets for the first time in two years with 1min 27.330secs.

Former champ Jason Plato, tied for the lead of the championship with Neal, starts third in his Chevrolet.

At the same circuit, Dundee-born racer Lewis Williamson secured his best grid position of the year in the British Formula Renault Championship. The 20-year-old Manor Motorsport racer, now based in Golspie, will start tomorrow’s first race from second on the grid.

And there was more success for the Scots contingent when Aberdeen 19-year-old Glynn Geddie qualified third-fastest for the opening Porsche Carrera Cup race behind former champs Michael Caine and Tim Harvey.

JM

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