Scottish Touring Car star Gordon Shedden is looking forward to his home round of the MSA British Touring Car Championship. The prestigious racing series comes to Knockhill Racing Circuit on 3rd/4th September and the Honda racing driver expects a tough weekend.
“Honestly, I don’t know,” said Shedden when asked how he saw the weekend going.
“We’re not 100% sure how the car will suit Knockhill. We’re heavier than last year due to the turbo engine and we don’t have as much engine braking this time around. And braking is critical around here.
“We’ll also have a lot of ‘success ballast’ in the car, the most likely scenario at the moment will be to rough it out in the first race, lose some weight and then try for podiums afterwards,” continued Shedden.
Don’t get Gordon wrong, he’ll be pushing just as hard for race wins and vital championship points come race-day Sunday despite his prediction. And much like football, he sees the home Scottish crowd as a vital element that could push him to victory.
“The crowd here always creates a fantastic atmosphere, it does inspire you knowing you have the backing of the majority of the crowd. It is kind of like a 12th man in football, but it equates to a few extra horse-power in Touring Cars.
“I’d love to win, but l won’t approach the weekend any differentently. It’s the same amount of points up for grabs at Knockhill as any other circuit. I’ll be pretty busy all weekend to think too much about it anyway.
“Sponsor commitments, warm up, qualifying and three races on the Sunday. To be fair though, the vast majority my time will be spent looking at data. The BTCC is just so competitive and finding that fraction of a second in your lap times could be vital,” said Shedden.
Another vital factor in Gordon’s title charge could be the remarkable move he pulled off at the last round. After receiving an orange/black (mechanical fault/return to pits) flag for a loose front wing. The Honda ace decided to remove the infringing metal by clipping a bollard at the side of the track.
“I was looking for something to hit, but there was nothing around me. So l had to veer six feet off the track to hit the bollard and luckily for me it worked a treat,” smiled Shedden.
At the time, BTCC commentator Tim Harvey called the move a ‘masterstroke’ and admitted that the extra points gained could prove pivotal in deciding the destination of the championship title.
Starring alongside Gordon and his Touring Car colleagues at Knockhill will be the Ginetta GT Supercup, Ginetta Juniors, Porsche Carrera Cup, Scottish Mini Cooper Cup and Scottish Classic Sports and Saloons Championship.
Action will commence early on Saturday morning and conclude at tea-time Sunday. Tickets for the event can be purchased via Knockhill.com or by calling 01383 723337 and pricing is as follows:
Saturday: Adult-£15, Concession-£8, Family-£38, Kids under 12-FREE
Sunday: Adult-£30, Concession-£15, Family-£75, Kids under 12-FREE
A weekend ticket represents superb value at only: Adult-£32, Concession-£18, Family-£80
Any tickets purchased before Saturday 3rd September (12-noon) will be subject to an advanced discount.