SHEDDEN, TURKINGTON & PLATO HEADLINE BRITISH TOURING CARS LIVE: EDINBURGH

Fresh from his two race wins last weekend, Scotland's Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship hero Gordon Shedden has confirmed he and his Team Halfords Honda Integra will be starring in front of the crowds in the first ever British Touring Cars Live: Edinburgh event on Thursday 31 August.

Shedden, from Dunfermline, will give demonstration runs of his race-winning Honda to the crowds along Johnston Terrace, by the city's world-famous Castle. He will be joined by eight more BTCC drivers, including three more of the championship's biggest names, SEAT's Jason Plato, Team RAC's Colin Turkington and Vauxhall's Fabrizio Giovanardi.

Mike Jordan in Team Eurotech Racing with John Guest's Honda Integra, former BTCC champion Tim Harvey in Motorbase Performance's Honda, Martyn Bell in Geoff Steel Racing's BMW 320i, Jason Hughes in Kartworld Racing's bio-ethanol-powered MG ZS, Adam Jones in Xero Competition's Lexus IS200 and Mark Smith in InFront Motorsport's Alfa Romeo 156 will complete the line-up.

Also performing will be cars from the BTCC's supporting Porsche Carrera Cup GB and SEAT Cupra Championship series.

Shedden won twice at Donington Park last Sunday to move past former champion Plato and up to third in the BTCC standings - incredibly it's still his debut season in Britain's premier motor racing series. The 27-year-old is aiming to follow the likes of Scottish greats such as Jim Clark and John Cleland in winning the BTCC Champion's trophy. He has one more meeting to go, at Snetterton on 13 August, before heading to Edinburgh and then on to the nearby Knockhill circuit for its BTCC race meeting on 2-3 September.

Shedden says: "People love their touring cars in Scotland, but British Touring Cars Live: Edinburgh is taking the BTCC to a whole load of new people. It is going to be a very exciting spectacle for the public.

"As a nation, we've got a track that has supported the BTCC since the early Nineties - Knockhill is always near capacity when the championship races there. But to be able to see the BTCC cars and drivers running through Edinburgh city centre during the Festivals period when it really is party time is going to pull a large and enthusiastic crowd.

"I'm already very privileged to be driving a BTCC car, but to be able to come back to Scotland and demonstrate the car in front of a home crowd in the capital's city centre will be awesome. I know that all the other BTCC drivers taking part are also very excited by this event."

British Touring Cars Live: Edinburgh will start at approximately 16.30 when Shedden takes part in a Lothian & Borders' Fire and Rescue Service road safety demonstration close to the BTCC paddock along Castle Terrace.

And in addition to those drivers giving demonstration runs for the crowds, the entire BTCC grid will be present to meet the public during a special autograph session before moving onto Knockhill for their race meeting there. Knockhill circuit will also be at the event selling BTCC race day tickets at discounted prices.

Provisional British Touring Cars Live: Edinburgh Timetable - Thursday 31 August:16.30-17.00 Castle Terrace, Lothian & Borders Fire and Rescue Road Safety DemonstrationCastle Terrace, OPEN BTCC PADDOCK THROUGHOUT EVENING18.00-18.45 BTCC Drivers' Autograph Session19.00-20.00 Johnston Terrace, BTCC cars in action

Note to sportsdesk: hi-res copyright free BTCC images are available from BTCC.net's Media section. Interviews with the championship's big name drivers are available from the contact below.Scotland's BTCC race-winner Gordon Shedden in his Team Halfords Honda will be among the stars of British Touring Cars Live: Edinburgh on 31 August  Edinburgh's most popular radio stations Forth One and FORTH2 are getting behind the BTCC's big date with the city