Scot Gordon Shedden bagged a podium finish in the final race of the British Touring Car Championship triple-header at Knockhill in Fife.
But the 38-year-old from Auchterarder heads to the next round at Rockingham in a fortnight with his front-wheel Honda Civic having lost the lead in the championship.
“We always knew this weekend was going to be tough, because Knockhill has always favoured the rear-wheel drive cars,” said Shedden, who entered the weekend leading by two points. “So this weekend was all about damage limitation.
“Getting a podium in the final race was the best we could really do, because we were just outpaced all weekend. But we’re still in a really strong position to take advantage of the tracks over the closing weekends. They suit our car better than some of our main rivals.”
While Shedden – carrying the maximum 75kg success ballast – had to content himself with an 11th-place finish in the opener, followed by a sixth and second place in the final two races, the day was dominated by the rear-wheel drive Subarus.
Jason Plato took the 96th BTCC win of his career, winning the opener just ahead of his team-mate Ash Sutton. In Race 2, the roles were reversed, with Sutton claiming his fifth win of the season.
And while the Toyota of Tom Ingram won the day’s final race ahead of Shedden, it was former Knockhill race instructor Colin Turkington who left the Fife circuit as championship leader.
The Irishman was consistent all day in his rear-wheel drive BMW, finishing third in all three races, and now leads the title race by four points from Sutton. Shedden is a further eight points behind in third.
Fifer Rory Butcher, making his BTCC debut, delivered an impressive weekend. The 30-year-old from Kirkcaldy, driving his Motorbase-prepared Ford Focus, eased himself into the championship in the first race, before finishing ninth in the both the final two races.
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