Honda’s Gordon Shedden heads to Knockhill this weekend looking to reduce the gap to Colin Turkington in the British Touring Car Championship standings, with the Scot admitting that racing in front of his home fans makes a big difference.
2012 champion Shedden is currently 23 points behind points leader Turkington as the series heads north for the 19th, 20th and 21st rounds of the championship.
“It’s the one time each year that I get the opportunity to race in front of my home crowd, and I’d be lying if I said that didn’t make a difference,” admitted Shedden. “Scottish fans love their motorsport, and touring car racing has been a big part of that in the country over the decades.
“The atmosphere around the circuit is second-to-none. The crowds get so close to the action they can almost touch the cars as they speed around the lap, which is just incredible. Their support does give you an extra spring in your step and is sometimes capable of making extraordinary things happen.”
Shedden explains that the nature of the 1.27 mile undulating circuit means that action is guaranteed, with cars often getting airborne over the notorious kerbs. The Scot has gone well at his home circuit in previous seasons, amassing three wins and 11 podium finishes out of 24 races in the top class of the BTCC since 2006.
“Knockhill couldn’t be more different to Snetterton in terms of the type of circuit that it is; it’s an absolute rollercoaster ride that goes up-and-down and sends cars airborne on two wheels over the kerbs. That requires massive commitment and means you can’t relax for even a moment, which is what generates such exciting racing.
“We are hopeful of being more competitive than we were at Snetterton, and the Civic Tourer’s excellent brakes and high-speed stability will certainly play a role in that. It will be interesting to see how it all stacks up. The target is a big points haul, and I’m definitely going there with my eyes on the prize.”
Shedden’s team-mate Neal believes the key to a strong Scottish weekend will be to maximise qualifying – which he predicts will be especially close with a bumper grid of 31 cars around the short circuit.
“I’ve gone well at Knockhill in the past, and being light in qualifying there could make a real difference this year, because there will be literally nothing to separate the front-runners around such a short lap where track position is key,” explained Neal. “As at Snetterton, my primary objective will be to support ‘Flash’ as best I can.”
Honda Yuasa Racing’s Technical Director Barry Plowman admits that ‘on paper’ the Civic Tourer should not be as good as the Civic Hatchback around the Knockhill circuit.
“The Civic hatch always performed well at Knockhill, and whilst on paper the nature of the circuit perhaps doesn’t look as well-suited to the longer Civic Tourer, this car has proven itself everywhere we have been so far this season,” said Plowman. “It is definitely capable of springing a few more surprises north of the border.”
First free practice gets underway at 09:40 BST on Saturday 23rd August.