Rob Collard and Dave Newsham take victory at Knockhill

Rob Collard rides the curbs as he leads Tom Onslow-Cole to victory

Robert Collard and, in front of his home crowd, Dave Newsham shared the wins in today’s three Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship races at Fife’s spectacular Knockhill circuit – attended by huge numbers of people including Olympic cycling gold medal winner Sir Chris Hoy MBE.

Meanwhile the main title protagonists – Matt Neal, Gordon Shedden and Jason Plato – all experienced a number of highs and lows. Nevertheless reigning Champion Neal has increased his advantage at the top of the table as the title race now heads into its final three rounds of 2012, starting at Rockingham in Northamptonshire on Sunday 23 September.

 

Plato started the day in pole position after setting the fastest time in Saturday’s qualifying session only to then crash out of the opening race after a tangle between his MG KX Momentum Racing MG6 and Aron Smith’s Redstone Racing Ford Focus. This left the way clear for Collard and Tom Onslow-Cole to finish first and second in their WSR-prepared eBay Motors BMWs. Shedden took third in his Honda Yuasa Racing Team Civic while team-mate Neal was a lowly seventh.

 

It was the same top three in the second race as reigning Champion Neal this time finished eighth. Plato was only 11^th, his car struggling with turbo-related problems.

 

Inverness’s Newsham, high in confidence after his maiden win at Snetterton a fortnight earlier, then took victory in the third race in his Team ES Racing.com Vauxhall Vectra. Jeff Smith followed in his Pirtek Racing Honda Civic for the first podium result of his BTCC career as Neal took third. Shedden and Plato, though, both retired.

As a result Neal leaves Scotland having slightly stretched his advantage over Shedden to ten points at the top of the table. Third-placed Plato has fallen 36 points adrift of Neal having gone into Knockhill’s event just ten behind…

Hampshire racer Collard enthused: “It’s just been a fantastic day for me and the whole eBay Motors team with a pair of 1-2 results and our other car driven by Nick Foster also very strong. It’s a big ask but another day like today at Rockingham and we could be right back in the title hunt.”

And added Newsham: “I really didn’t believe a podium result let alone a win would be possible here but I banged in some really fast laps at the start of race three and that clinched it for me. I’ve had a new sponsor on board this weekend and I’m chuffed to bits.”

 

Worcestershire’s Neal appeared stunned to still be leading the standings. He commented: “I have no idea how I am still in front. It’s been a horrid weekend for me, but Gordon’s retirement in that third race plus a bad day for Jason as well have saved my skin.”

Fife’s Shedden said: “This was meant to be one of our stronger circuits and the next three, Rockingham, Silverstone and Brands Hatch require good straight line speed which is where we are lacking. We might still be in front but the truth is we are struggling.”

Oxford’s Plato had also expected more from Knockhill, particularly after his pole position lap. The double Champion reflected: “It’s an opportunity for us to take more points out of the Honda drivers and even take the championship lead gone begging. We’ve clearly got the performance – we’ve just had rotten luck but it’s certainly not over yet.”

Notably Irishman Aron Smith celebrated his best result to date in the BTCC with fourth in the first race. Similarly series returnee Paul O’Neill gave the Speedworks Motorsport squad a best ever finish of fourth in the second race in its Toyota Avensis.

 

Honda/Dynamics and the Honda Yuasa Racing Team continue to lead the Manufacturers/Constructors and HiQ Teams standings, as does Andrew Jordan the Independents Drivers Championship. However, his Pirtek Racing team has lost the lead in the Independent Teams Trophy table to eBay Motors.

 

Elsewhere a number of drivers were punished by officials for on-track indiscretions today. Race 1: Aron Smith received three penalty points on his competition licence and was fined £500 for an incident involving Jason Plato; Gordon Shedden received two penalty points on his licence plus an official reprimand for an incident involving Aron Smith; Daniel Welch received three penalty points and was fined £500 for an incident involving Jeff Smith. Race 2: Chris James received three penalty points and was fined £500 for an incident involving Daniel Welch.

Jason Plato claims Knockhill Pole Position

Under leaden skies, Jason Plato splashes his way to pole position for tomorrow's race

Jason Plato has taken pole position in a wet Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship qualifying session at the Knockhill circuit in Fife.

 

Plato set a best time of 57.128s in his KX Momentum Racing MG6 to secure pole for the third time this season. Qualifying second fastest was Robert Collard in his eBay Motors BMW while young Irishman Aron Smith was a best-ever third in his Redstone Racing Ford Focus.

 

But Plato’s two Honda rivals, Worcestershire’s Matt Neal and Scottish ‘home hero’ Gordon Shedden who lay just ahead of him in the title race, could only manage eighth and sixth places.

 

It means Plato, chasing the third title of his career, has a golden opportunity to make further inroads into their advantage in the first of tomorrow’s three races at least. They will go into it with Neal, the reigning Champion, leading the standings with Shedden in second and Plato third. Just ten points cover them with 20 awarded for a win.

 

Oxford’s Plato commented: “I had a bit more in reserve if required but the main thing is I’m starting from the front tomorrow and the two Hondas have a lot to do. But we’re looking good in all conditions – I was very happy with the car in the dry in the earlier practice sessions so I’m feeling good about tomorrow.”

 

Hampshire’s Collard, currently fifth in the table, said: “I gave it everything. Pole would have been very nice but I’m satisfied to be starting on the front row which is important here as it’s a tough circuit to overtake.”

Dubliner Smith, aged just 21, added: “I’ve been chipping away all season and finally I’ve got my first top three and it feels great. I’m looking forward to tomorrow – it's a chance to see how the more established names do it and hopefully I can go with them.”

 

Elsewhere ‘returnee’ Paul O’Neill qualified an excellent seventh fastest in his Speedworks Motorsport Toyota Avensis. Inverness’s Dave Newsham, a winner for the first time at Snetterton, Norfolk two weeks ago, was tenth on his home track in his Team ES Racing.com Vauxhall Vectra.

 

Tomorrow’s three BTCC races from Knockhill will be shown live on ITV4, ITV4 HD and www.itv.com during a mammoth seven hour show from 11.00am-6.00pm.

 

Leading position, BTCC Qualifying, Knockhill, Sat 25 Aug
1. Jason Plato (GBR), MG KX Momentum Racing/MG6, 57.128s
2. Robert Collard (GBR), eBay Motors/BMW 320si, +0.297s
3. Aron Smith (IRL), Redstone Racing/Ford Focus, +0.350s
4. Tom Onslow-Cole (GBR), eBay Motors/BMW 320si, +0.405s
5. Frank Wrathall (GBR), Dynojet/Toyota Avensis, +0.444s
6. Gordon Shedden (GBR), Honda Yuasa Racing Team/Honda Civic, +0.477s
7. Paul O’Neill (GBR), Speedworks Motorsport/Toyota Avensis, +0.522s
8. Matt Neal (GBR), Honda Yuasa Racing Team/Honda Civic, +0.560s
9. Mat Jackson (GBR), Redstone Racing/Ford Focus ST, +0.648s
10. Dave Newsham (GBR), ES Racing.com/Vauxhall Vectra, +0.676s

Scottish Adventures for Porsches

The Porsches attack the first corner of Snetterton. More spectacular action at Knockhill!

Rounds 13 and 14 of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB are sure to deliver some of the most exciting and unpredictable racing of the season as the teams and drivers take on the unique challenge of the Knockhill circuit in Fife (25/26 August).

Michael Meadows (Redline Racing) heads north with a 36-point lead in the overall standings and is clearly the title favourite. But Michael knows well enough that Knockhill is one of those tracks where fortunes can change very quickly and he will be working very hard to make sure he qualifies at the front of the pack.

Last time out at Snetterton was a fabulous weekend for Sam Tordoff (Team Parker Racing), who dominated the weekend to take two wins and move into second place overall at the expense of Jonas Gelzinis (Juta Racing). Aside from Gelzinis, three drivers are vying to topple Tordoff as the big threat to Meadows and Daniel Lloyd (Team Parker Racing) and Ben Barker (Parr Motorsport) could both be race winners. Series newcomer Andy Meyrick (Team Parker Racing) will surely be quick on his first race weekend at Knockhill but it is local ace Rory Butcher (Celtic Speed) who will really want to stamp his mark on the weekend.

As the Carrera Cup GB makes its annual foray north of the border, five Scottish drivers will be on the grid. Top of the pack in terms of overall championship position is Butcher and he has a pretty good knowledge of Knockhill. The son of circuit owner Derek and brother-in-law of BTCC ace Gordon Shedden, Kirkcaldy-based Rory is a Knockhill instructor. Rory had the weekend of his life in June at Croft when he was in dominant form and won both races with two perfect performances. Add that to consistent scores elsewhere and he is now fourth in the points, within striking distance of second-placed Tordoff.

Also running in the Pro category is Aberdeen’s Glynn Geddie (Redline Racing). By his own high standards, 2012 has yet to deliver the results that were expected, but Knockhill is just the sort of track where Glynn’s natural pace and gutsy style could shine. If the weather is unpredictable, as can be the case at Knockhill, he will be right in the mix.

Battling for glory in Pro-Am1 are West Kilbride’s Derek Pierce (JD Pierce with Team Parker) and Edinburgh’s Oly Mortimer (GT Marques). Pierce is badly overdue some good luck to go with his undoubted pace, while Mortimer and the team have been working wonders on a very limited budget. Currently, Pierce heads Mortimer by a single-point as they chase Pro-Am1 leader Ahmad Al Harthy (Redline/Oman Air).

Completing the Scottish contingent is Edinburgh’s George Brewster in the second car from Montrose-based Celtic Speed. The former Pro-Am2 champion is only tackling a part season this year due to business commitments, but will be aiming for a visit to the Pro-Am1 podium on home ground.

Finally, the contest for Pro-Am2 glory is set to be between Welsh teenager Fraser O’Brien (GT Marques) and Tania Mann (sibsport performance). O’Brien made an impressive series debut last time out at Snetterton and will now tackle Knockhill for the first time.

After qualifying at 13.50 on Saturday, round 13 will start at 10.45 on Sunday, with round 14 at 15.30. Round 14 will be broadcast live on ITV4 during the extensive BTCC programme which runs from 11.00 on Sunday.

BTCC heads north to Knockhill

Gordon Shedden (pictured leading) will be hoping for a win or two in front of his home BTCC crowd at Knockhill this weekend when the Fife circuit celebrates 20 years of touring car action.

There is now less than a week to go before the UK’s premier motor racing championship – the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – makes its annual trip to Scotland and one of the most spectacular circuits on its calendar, Knockhill in Fife which hosts the series’ latest three races this weekend (Sat 25/Sun 26 August).

 

With its off-camber corners and blind brows, Knockhill is rated by many as one of the toughest driving challenges of the BTCC season. Furthermore its trackside crowd is among the most passionate of the year as tens of thousands of people turn out to cheer on their home heroes, namely, in 2012, Dalgety Bay’s Gordon Shedden and Inverness-based Dave Newsham.

 

Shedden, vying to become the first Scotsman since John Cleland in 1995 to win the BTCC title, will arrive lying second in the standings to his Honda Yuasa Racing Team team-mate Matt Neal who pipped him to last year’s crown. Meanwhile Newsham, driving a Team ES Racing.com Vauxhall Vectra, will go into the event truly on a confidence high following his first race win in the BTCC just over a week ago at Snetterton in Norfolk.

 

Making 2012’s event extra special is the fact that this year Knockhill is celebrating 20 years of BTCC action. Almost every living Scottish driver to have graced the BTCC grid at Knockhill during the past two decades will be present, including Cleland who will be reunited with his famous Vauxhall Cavalier for several demonstration laps. A number of iconic BTCC cars will also be present, including a Honda Accord once raced by the much missed David Leslie.

 

Shedden is now the most successful Scottish driver in the BTCC in terms of race wins and also boasts an unrivalled six victories to date in 2012.

Three of his 27 career wins have come in front of his home fans at Knockhill and he commented: “It is just going to be a phenomenal weekend for Scottish sport. The BTCC is always spectacular, particularly so at Knockhill because of the nature of the circuit and the fact it falls at such a crucial time in the calendar. After this weekend we start to get a picture of who are the men most likely to be in with a shout as we get to the business end of the season.

“I was a kid watching the likes of John Cleland from the spectator banks when the BTCC first came here 20 years ago and this year’s event is going to be a hugely important landmark in both Knockhill’s and Scottish motor sport’s history.”

 

While Shedden hopes to close down the gap to leader Neal in Sunday’s three races – he is eight points adrift with 20 awarded per win – he will also be wary of his pursuers. Jason Plato, with two titles and a record 71 race wins to his name, is just two points further back in his MG KX Momentum Racing MG6. Plato has also achieved an unrivalled eight career wins to date at Knockhill…

 

In all seven drivers – Neal, Shedden, Plato, Newsham, Andrew Jordan (Pirtek Racing Honda), Robert Collard (eBay Motors BMW) and Mat Jackson (Redstone Racing Ford Focus) – have won races so far this season. Others, including Frank Wrathall (Dynojet Toyota Avensis) who took a career-first pole position in qualifying at Snetterton last weekend, have shown they are more than capable of mixing it with the title protagonists as well.

 

Keeping the BTCC crowds at Knockhill this weekend (25/26 Aug) further entertained will be an additional 11 races for the supporting Porsche Carrera Cup GB, Ginetta Junior and Ginetta GT Supercup categories as well as the ‘guesting’ Celtic Speed Mini Cooper Cup and Scottish Classic Sports & Saloons series.

 

Rory Butcher (Kirkcaldy) and Glyn Geddie (Aberdeen) are among the front-runners in the Carrera Cup – indeed Butcher still has a realistic chance of winning the crown. Charlie Robertson (Aberfoyle), aged 15, is also a title contender in Ginetta Juniors while Fergus Walkinshaw (Edinburgh), son of the late, great Scottish touring race winner and team boss Tom Walkinshaw, is one to watch in the GT Supercup.

 

Admission to the event is FREE all weekend for accompanied children aged 12 and under. Tickets for adults will remain on sale at special advance rates until Saturday (25 Aug) via the www.knockhill.com website or by calling 01383 723337.

Apologies for the interruption to posts. This is due to technical difficulties to do with our RSS feeds.

Scotland the Brave?

Has anyone else noticed a distinctly scottish flavour to Overdrive Recently? Maybe it's because Scotland has produced many top class drivers and talent - Despite having only one racing circuit,  Knockhill in Fife. Although the thousands of miles of prime rally territory more than makes up for the lack of circuit racing venues!

Or maybe it's because the BTCC is at said racing circuit this weekend?

Whatever the reason. Here's some Scottish drivers doing rather well in the BTCC, which just so happens to be in Scotland this weekend. Okay... I'll stop now!

--

Gordon Shedden takes the chequred flag at Snetterton in his Honda Civic

Gordon Shedden will arrive at his home circuit of Knockhill this weekend (3-4 Sept) knowing he’s now the most successful Scottish driver in terms of race wins to contest the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.

Fife racer Shedden’s latest victory, achieved at the Snetterton circuit in Norfolk in early August, was the 18^th of his career – one more than John Cleland who won the BTCC title twice in 1989 and 1995. Other Scottish greats to have tasted race victory in the BTCC since its inception in 1958 include Anthony Reid (15 wins), David Leslie and Tom Walkinshaw (9) and, Champion in 1964, Jim Clark (8).

Shedden, from Dalgety Bay, will go into his home event lying second overall in the current BTCC standings. He briefly led the table – the first time in his career that he had done so – after the second of three races at Snetterton only to then slip behind Airwaves Ford driver Mat Jackson in the third. Breathing down their necks in the chase for the title are double champions both, Shedden’s Honda Racing team-mate Matt Neal and Silverline Chevrolet’s Jason Plato.

Another win to help best John Cleland's total.

Shedden, aged 32, told btcc.net: “To have beaten John’s tally is very special – he was my childhood hero when I came to watch the BTCC at Knockhill as a kid in the Nineties. In fact he was a hero for the whole of Scotland – every household knew his name. But while the wins record is nice, John is still two championships up on me so I’ve got some way to go yet before I can genuinely say I’ve equalled his achievements.

“Obviously I’ve got myself into a great position for this season. A lot of that is down to much greater consistency in terms of finishes and picking up the points. Of course I want to win each race but sometimes you have to take what else is on offer.”

Indeed Shedden will arrive at Knockhill eight points adrift of leader Jackson. That is nothing by BTCC standards considering there are 15 points awarded per race win and some 12 races still to go this season (with three each at Knockhill, then Rockingham in Northants, Brands Hatch in Kent and, finally in mid-October, Silverstone in Northants).

Shedden added: “No one driver is going to win the title at Knockhill this weekend but they could easily lose it – just look how quickly it turned again at Snetterton where I led the thing for about two hours! After all there’s more than a third of the season – 12 of the 30 races – still to go and my season isn’t wholly dependant on a ballistic weekend at Knockhill.

“I actually think the Chevrolets of Jason and his team-mate Alex MacDowall will be dynamite around Knockhill – the Chevrolet is lighter than our Civic and Jackson’s Ford. The top five in the championship will all start the weekend with success ballast in their cars whereas MacDowall will have zero ballast so he should qualify on pole position and win race one.

Shedden speeds past banks of spectators. 

“But it will ebb and flow throughout the three races on Sunday as the ballasts are shifted about according to people’s finishing positions in each race. That always keeps the racing close – it’s a trademark of the BTCC – and at Knockhill, because of the track lay-out, this is usually one of the closest and most unpredictable days of the season.

“It’s easy to say because I compete in it but, looking at other sports or events, I’d have to say the BTCC makes for one of the most exciting family days out imaginable. The racing is sensational and it’s all done in cars that look like the family saloon or hatchback. The crowds are huge, the atmosphere is always electric and the other big bonus for the public is that they can meet the stars of the show with autograph sessions and an open paddock. Plus at Knockhill you can get so close to the edge of the track you can literally touch the cars… a bit different from Formula One.”

While Shedden and Inverness’s Dave Newsham, in his Special Tuning Racing SEAT Leon, are sure to be the crowd’s favourites in Knockhill’s three headline BTCC races this Sunday (4 Sept), another eight supporting races are also on the bill to further keep spectators entertained. In action will be the Ginetta Junior, Ginetta GT Supercup and Porsche Carrera Cup and guesting Scottish Classic Sports and Saloons and Mini Cooper Cup championships.

Shedden will hope to lead the pack again at Knockhill

Lining up on the grid in the Ginetta GT Supercup and competing on home ground for the first time in a decade will be Edinburgh’s Marino Franchitti – brother of three-time IndyCar Champion and twice Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti and himself a successful racer in the American Le Mans sportscar series. One to watch in Porsches is Kirckaldy’s Rory Butcher – son of circuit owner Derek Butcher and who has delivered several top-class performances already this season.

Tickets for Knockhill’s big BTCC weekend (3-4 Sept) will remain on sale at advance prices right up to this Friday (2 Sept). Prices for the main race day (Sun) are £25 per adult while admission for children aged 12 and under is free all weekend. For details on other ticket offers including concessions contact www.knockhill.com or call the circuit on 01383 723337.

Newsham takes on Shedden at Knockhill

David Newsham - Well we think it is anyway!

Dave Newsham is hopeful of joining fellow Scot Gordon Shedden on the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship podium at his home circuit of Knockhill (3-4 September).

Newsham, from Inverness, will arrive at the Fife circuit off the back of his most competitive showing to date in the BTCC, the UK’s premier motor racing championship.

Three weeks ago some 500 miles away at Snetterton in Norfolk he finished all three races on the day inside the hallowed top ten and even briefly tasted the lead in one of them.

Now he’s back home – running his successful Norscott coffee vending machine business out of its headquarters in Inverness as well as another base in Aberdeen – and feeling confident about his chances at Knockhill.

And while Fife racer Shedden, who drives for the high-profile factory Honda Racing Team and is currently in the running for the BTCC crown, is expected to shine on home ground, Newsham is also hopeful of giving Knockhill’s trackside crowd another name to cheer.

Newsham in the thick of the action at Snetterton

The 45-year-old, who races a SEAT Leon for the Special Tuning Racing team, told btcc.net: “It was only my third event with the team but Snetterton showed just how much the car and I have gelled. I’d say we are now genuinely showing mid-top ten pace.

“Gordon’s been in the BTCC for five years now and is always the big name when the BTCC comes to Scotland, but I was ahead of him in one of the races at Snetterton for a while. I don’t think I got the results I merited there either so I’m going to Knockhill pretty fired up. I really want to be on the podium and believe that the SEAT, given its past results there, is capable of it.”

Although he originally hails from the North West of England, Newsham very much considers himself to be Scottish and takes great pride in the fact that it was at Knockhill last year where he won the Renault Clio Cup drivers’ title before his graduation to the BTCC for 2011.

“I moved up to Inverness to start the Norscott company in 1994. My first ever race on four wheels was at Golspie kart track about 60 miles north of Inverness. I won my second race there and was also the local club champion.

“There’s a lot of Scottish blood running through my family’s veins as well: my dad was half Scottish and my wife’s grandfather was from Orkney, plus both my kids who are now into their teens were born and raised here and I couldn’t have wished for a better upbringing for them.

“Inverness might be three and a half hours’ drive from Knockhill but people up here are used to driving long distances to get to events. And from what I’m hearing a lot of people from the town and from around the area will be driving to Knockhill for BTCC weekend and that makes me feel great. It brings a bit more pressure but that only adds to the buzz.”

Newsham will come up against his BTCC rivals, including Shedden, in three headline races at Knockhill (Sun 4 Sept). Another 11 hotly-contested races will also take place on track during the weekend with action from the ‘resident’ supporting Ginetta GT Supercup, Ginetta Junior and Porsche Carrera Cup championship plus the guesting Scottish Classic Sports and Saloons and Mini Cooper Cup championships...

... Which is where we at overdrive would like to add a point - Going to a high profile motor racing event like BTCC and only watching the main event is missing a lot of really great action! Knockhill has one of the best set of support races this year on the BTCC circus with the usuals, plus two hotly contested series that don't get nearly enough coverage - the Scottish Sports and Saloons and Scottish Minis. They're fast and furious, and definitely worth a watch.

"Flash" Gordon heads home

Gordon Shedden leading the pack, he'll hope to repeat this at his home Circuit of Knockhill

There are little more than two weeks to go before Scotland hosts its only round this year of the UK’s premier motor racing championship, the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, at the spectacular Knockhill circuit on the weekend of 3-4 September.

The BTCC’s annual arrival at the Fife venue just north of Edinburgh represents Scotland’s biggest motor sport fixture of the year and 2011’s event looks set to attract a bigger and even more enthusiastic trackside crowd than before.

The reason is Fife’s Gordon Shedden who is better placed to win the BTCC crown – one of the most coveted in motor sport in the world – than any Scottish driver for more than a decade.

Trailing the damaged front wing, Shedden lines up his car with a barrier
(Photo : ITV Sport)

Gordon makes contact with the barrier
(Photo : ITV Sport)

The wing flies off against the barrier and Shedden carries on racing Nash
(Photo : ITV Sport)

Shedden will go into his home round lying second in the standings after an extraordinary piece of precision daredevil driving – two weeks ago while rounding a corner at 100mph at Snetterton in Norfolk he deliberately drove his Honda Civic into a barrier to remove its mangled front wing (see photos above). It meant he avoided having to make a costly pit stop for repairs and instead was able to go on and score a few more valuable points. [we don't recommend that racing drivers start doing this as a regular manouvre! OD]
Earlier in the day, in the second of three races, he’d taken his third win of the season to briefly lead the BTCC table for the first time in his career. Now three more races await him and his BTCC rivals at Knockhill (4 Sept) and he’ll start them just eight points adrift of the leader, Airwaves Ford Focus driver Mat Jackson and, crucially, ahead of his own Honda team-mate Matt Neal and reigning champion, Chevrolet’s Jason Plato.

‘Flash’ is clearly hoping that at Knockhill he can move back to the top and stay there to go on and become the first Scottish driver since John Cleland in 1995 to lift the BTCC Champion’s trophy.

A very happy Scotsman

Shedden, aged 31 from Dalgety Bay, commented: “The move at Snetterton was very risky – I don’t know if I could do that again if I was given another 100 attempts! But I had nothing to lose and it paid off and although Mat Jackson won the race and slipped ahead of me in the championship it means I’m just that little bit closer to him.

“Racing in the BTCC in front of my home crowd is always awesome but this year it’s going to be even more special. I’m in the strongest position I’ve ever been in and doing the business at Knockhill and leaving with the championship lead is of course the dream scenario.
“The gap to Jackson is only eight points – there are 15 for a win and three races on the day so there’s a lot to play for. This is also the most competitive season I can remember in the BTCC with so many different drivers and different types of cars capable of challenging for a place on the podium. I’ve driven thousands of laps around Knockhill but it counts for zero – the drivers at this level are into the groove with any track within five laps. I’ve got a great car in the Honda Civic and a great team in the Honda Racing Team but we will all have to be at the top of our game on Knockhill weekend to keep our championship challenge going.”

Macdowell chases down Newsham

In addition to Shedden, the trackside spectators will have another ‘local’ to cheer on in the BTCC’s three races at Knockhill (Sun 4 Sept), namely Dave Newsham. The Inverness racer will be making his first appearance in front of his home crowd as a BTCC driver after winning last year’s Renault Clio Cup title. Newsham will arrive at Knockhill off the back of his best showing to date – he was in the points in all three races at Snetterton, even leading one of them briefly in his Special Tuning Racing SEAT Leon.

Meanwhile Knockhill’s big BTCC race weekend (3-4 Sept) will feature 11 more races for the ‘resident’ supporting Ginetta Junior, Ginetta GT Supercup and Porsche Carrera Cup categories as well as the guesting Scottish Classic Sports and Saloons and Mini Cooper Cup championships.

Race day (4 Sept) tickets cost £25 in advance and can be booked right up to the eve of the event (Fri 2 Sept). To book or for details of other ticketing options including discounts on weekend passes and concessions visit the www.knockhill.com website or call the circuit on 01383 723337. Admission for children aged 12 and under is FREE all weekend.

For all the latest BTCC news visit the championship’s official www.btcc.net website.