Shedden eyes exclusive clubposted in BTCC23 | 08 | 2012
IT PROMISES TO BE partytime at Knockhill this weekend. Not only is the Fife circuit celebrating 20 years of hosting the British Touring Car Championship, but its own Gordon Shedden is closing in on the title.
Shedden, the 33-year-old from Dalgety Bay — who dovetails his race action with being Knockhill's business development manager, and is married to the circuit's managing director, Jillian — is on the verge of joining a very exclusive club.
He heads into the weekend just eight points behind his Honda Racing team-mate, and championship leader, Matt Neal.
Only two Scots have won the British Touring Car title. One is legendary double F1 champ Jim Clark: the other John Cleland.
And Wishaw-born Cleland, who lifted the title with Vauxhall in 1989 and '95, smiles when he considers 'his club' accepting Shedden as a new member.
"I have no doubt Gordon will win the title at some stage," Cleland, who retired from the BTCC at the end of 1999 and now runs a successful car dealership in Galashiels, admitted today.
See more photos of Shedden and Cleland at Knockhill
"But I've got to be a bit selfish. At the moment I'm the only Scot to have won the title alongside the legendary Jim Clark, and I'd like to keep that club as exclusive as I can, for as long as I can."
And Cleland, who will be at the 1.3-mile circuit over the weekend to take part in the celebrations, believes he could quickly be back on the pace if he was to throw himself in to the current championship.
"If Gordon threw me the keys of his Honda Civic, I reckon I could be competitive pretty quickly," he stated, "even though I've been out for a number of years.
"I think this current crop of touring cars aren't as difficult to drive as my Vauxhall in the real Super Touring car days: they're not overly-complicated.
"I really don't think it would take me that long to get myself back in and be able to say, 'yeh, this thing's a dawdle'."
Cleland retains huge respect throughout the motorsport world. Recently he has been advising the FIA World Touring Car stewards on driving standards, which some might suggest is the pot calling the kettle black.
And he believes the driving standards in the current BTCC leave a lot to be desired.
"It's poor from the top down," he continued. "Jason Plato and Matt Neal are champions, and they should be setting a positive example, not a bad one.
"When we were doing it, you could create a 'professional foul' by gently lifting the guy in front of you to get passed him.
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"We did it cleverly: it was just enough to unsettle the car in front to allow you to get passed. But he would always stay on the track and continue racing.
"You didn't spear him into the barriers like they do now. That's just downright dangerous, and stupid."
Cleland maintains his racing edge by competing in various classic car races, including Goodwood.
"It's great fun and allows me to blow all the cobwebs away, and keeps my eye in. Nothing changes, apart from the fact my crash helmet's that old now that it's out of date and I needed to get a new one," he laughed.
This weekend though, like the 50,000 other spectators who will flock to the track over the weekend, Cleland will be fully behind Shedden.
"I think he's been unfortunate not to have won the championship already: remember, he finished runner-up behind Neal last year," he said.
"This year? Well, if he gets that bit of luck, and the team gets fully behind him, he'll be joining the club.: and that will be terrific for Scotland."
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Jim McGill