Shedden starts fifth in BTCC openerposted in BTCC29 | 03 | 2014
FORMER CHAMP GORDON SHEDDEN (pictured) will start tomorrow's opening round of the British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch from fifth on the grid.
The 35-year-old from Dalgety Bay, who won the title in 2012, lapped the 1.2-mile Indy circuit in a fastest time of 48.371secs in his new Honda Civic estate.
"We've a few wee tweaks we can make to the car overnight," Shedden, who finished just 0.143s off the pole time of defending champ Andrew Jordan's Honda, said today.
"Traditionally, the opening round at Brands has been my nemesis, with a number of non-finishes, so I've set myself an achievable target for tomorrow's three races. I want three good, solid results, and a bagful of points."
Related: Shedden leads Scots BTCC assault
Jordan left his best lap till just a few minutes before the end of the 30-min session, dislodging Jason Plato's MG6 into second by just 0.012s.
Five former BTCC champs filled the top five positions, with former Knockhill race instructor Colin Turkington third in his BMW, and Shedden's team-mate Matt Neal in fourth.
So close is the competition already this season, that the top 23 drivers on the 29-car grid were covered by just 0.825s.
In addition to Shedden, four other Scots will tackle the opening triple-header. Inverness-based Dave Newsham starts 20th in his Ford Focus, with Aberdeen's Glynn Geddie 23rd.
Dalkeith 17-year-old Aiden Moffat lines up 27th on his first outing in the Laser Tools Chevrolet Cruze.
Related: Rory Butcher switches to British GT
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Jim McGill