Gordon Shedden has expressed his disbelief at taking the 2012 British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch on Sunday – with the Scot securing the title in the second race of the day.
Shedden enjoyed his most successful season to-date in the BTCC, taking eight wins and sixteen podium finishes to beat Honda team-mate Matt Neal to the crown by 21 points. Shedden had been the bookies favourite to take the championship going into the meeting thanks to a 15 point advantage and he didn’t disappoint on race day, taking a fifth, second and third.
“There’s a lot that could have gone wrong today – I can’t believe it,” said the Scot. “All I ever wanted as a kid was to race in the BTCC and I never thought I’d be champion.
“It’s the first year of the new Civic and the success is down to everyone in the full Honda family – it’s not just Dynamics and the race team.”
Shedden’s team-mate and championship rival Neal was full of praise for Shedden. As in 2011 the duo finished first and second in the championship, albeit in a different order in 2012.
“He’s not just a good team-mate, he’s a good mate,” said Neal. “And he’s come of age. To see our names next to each other on the trophy is really something – it doesn’t get much closer than that!”
Shedden adds his title to 29 race wins and 66 podium finishes in the BTCC, including finishing runner-up once and third in the championship on two previous occasions.