Gordon Shedden used all of his experience to take a determined win in Round 9 of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship.
Shedden started on a reverse grid pole and his Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport Toyota came under significant pressure from championship leader Ash Sutton late on, while Tom Ingram was third on the road as he charged from last on the grid, before a track limits penalty dropped him to 9th. Daryl De Leon of WSR inherited third position.
The three-time champion did well to ward off the challenges of the Cataclean Plato Racing duo of Dan Rowbottom and Adam Morgan in the early laps before they faded late on, and led a peaceful existence in the lead until Sutton passed Morgan with an excellent move into Agostini.
From there it was the boost-laden Toyota against the Ford/Sutton combination with only a single lap of boost to its name, and it looked as if Sutton would win out as a move around the outside at Turn One briefly had him in the lead, but Shedden held the inside to repel an inspired Sutton.
Further back, it was a return to form for the West Surrey Racing BMW duo of Daryl De Leon and Charles Rainford, as they climbed from 10th and 8th on the grid to record 3rd and 5th place finishes respectively either side of Restart Racing’s Chris Smiley.
Morgan fell back to 6th as his boost ran out with Tom Chilton 7th. The top 10 was rounded out by Dan Cammish’s 8th placed NAPA Racing Ford Focus and Rowbottom, who faded badly on medium tyres either side of the penalised Ingram.
It was an emotional podium at the end of race three, as Nicholas Hamilton won the Jack Sears Trophy in scenes that united the entire BTCC paddock.
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