Shedden ready for BTCC fightbackposted in BTCC22 | 08 | 2013
IT'S 18 YEARS SINCE the Knockhill crowd welcomed a Scottish driver carrying the No 1 of the British Touring Car Championship winner, but this weekend thousands will descend on the Fife circuit to roar on Gordon Shedden.
The 34-year-old from Dalgety Bay — the Honda Yuasa racer can almost see his house from the circuit, perched high up in the hills overlooking the Forth Road Bridge — took the title last year in a nailbiting finale.
On Sunday he'll fire up his car hoping to add to the three wins he already has at his home circuit, and determined to close the gap to championship leader, Honda team-mate Matt Neal.
"Yup, that's that plan," the ever-smiling Shedden beamed as he took a break from the incessant demands of Scottish media — normally more focused on football and rugby — desperate to grab a few minutes with him.
"It's been crazy so far this week. Normally I've one or two guys like you who I'll speak with, but the build-up so far this week has been mental.
"I'm not complaining, because it's great for the BTCC and motorsport in general, and it just shows what an impact having a Scottish champ makes."
Shedden is the first Scot to hold the coveted BTCC title since Galashiels ace John Cleland powered his Vauxhall to the second of his titles in 1995.
"I remember the impact John's title had when the BTCC came to Knockhill the following year," Shedden continued.
"I was amongst the thousands of fans who traipsed round the track to get the best view of him in action. I remember the atmosphere that day: it was brilliant. Hopefully I can do something this weekend to give the fans something to cheer about too."
So far this season has seen mixed fortunes for Shedden. He failed to score in two of the opening three rounds of the opening weekend at Brands Hatch, then failed to score in one of the rounds at Rockingham.
The first of his three race wins this year came at Donington, followed by victories at Thruxton, and last time out at Snetterton.
Despite his obvious frustration, Shedden takes a longterm, balanced view of the highs and lows of the year so far.
"Definitely the non-finishes I've had this season, for whatever reason, have hampered my progress," he continued.
"I think I've got four non-finishes, one fourth place, one seventh, and the rest have been on the podium, which has been really good.
"I guess it feels like anytime there's been a 50:50 incident, last year I kind of got away with it. This year it's biting back: I've got away with absolutely nothing. But that's motorsport.
"I'm a firm believer that luck generally evens out over the course of the year, and I'm confident the second half of the season's going to be better than the first."
Despite his problems, the feisty Scot heads into the weekend third in the title race, just 22 points behind triple champ Neal.
"I'm only one win away from taking the lead in the championship, that's how close it is this season," Shedden, whose car will carry 27kg of success ballast, compared to the 45kg of Neal, and 36kg of second-placed Andrew Jordan, said.
"We all know how tough this weekend's going to be. Knockhill has a reputation for delivering the closest races of the year, and I don't expect this weekend to be any different."
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Jim McGill