Defending British Touring Car Champion Gordon Shedden is predicting an ‘insanely close’ first qualifying session in the season-opener at Brands Hatch this weekend.
All drivers will start the season ballast-free, and Shedden believes this will be crucial in determining how close the session will be.
The Scot even thinks that it could be the closest yet in the series’ history, beating last year’s qualifying session where 22 cars were covered by less than a second.
“The one thing we don’t know at this stage is how quick everybody else will be,” said Shedden. “What’s for sure is that it’s going to be insanely close in qualifying at Brands Hatch with the whole field on zero ballast – you’re going to need to absolutely nail your lap if you want a good starting position.
“I really believe the difference between first and last on the grid this season could be the smallest it’s ever been. The quality stretches further down the field than in recent years, meaning it will all come down to hundredths – if not indeed thousandths – of a second.”
Regarding his own preparation, Shedden is optimistic ahead of the new season, even though he admits that the new Dunlop tyres have had more of an impact than he had expected.
Like many of the field, the 38-year-old spent time at Parcmotor Castellolí in Spain testing ahead of the new season, as part of a comprehensive pre-season testing package.
“Testing has gone well. There has been plenty of learning with the new Dunlop tyres, but I think we’re getting our heads around it all and I’m in a reasonably happy place right now.
“The week in Spain was really beneficial and highlighted a few things we needed to work on early in our preparations. That ensured we were on the right track by the time we got back to the UK and the car feels good.
“It actually feels different to last year – the tyres have had more of an effect than I’d expected, to be honest – but we seem to be increasingly unlocking the little Civic Type R’s potential.”