Gordon Shedden has responded to comments from fellow Scot John Cleland earlier this week saying that he won’t feel any extra pressure racing in front of his home crowd in Knockhill’s three Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship rounds this coming Sunday (3 September).
Shedden, nicknamed ‘Flash Gordon’, can be a winner at Knockhill provided he doesn’t let the emotion get to him, according to former double BTCC champion Cleland.
Shedden’s Knockhill race weekend will be busier than normal for him – tonight (Thursday) he’ll be starring in his Team Halfords Honda Integra on closed public roads in Edinburgh in the much-anticipated British Touring Cars Live: Edinburgh event, in association with the City of Edinburgh Council.
Tomorrow (Friday) he’ll be taken for the flying lesson of a lifetime when he rides at 500mph in a Tornado F3 fighter jet at RAF Leuchars in Fife. And then it’s onto the business of performing for the first time in his career as a BTCC driver on home ground. Cheering him on will not just be the local fans but also sponsor Clydesdale Bank that has become the event’s race day sponsor.
But 27-year-old Shedden, currently fifth in what is his debut BTCC season and having achieved four race victories, believes he’ll cope with the weight of expectation.
The Dunfermline driver said: "I don’t think there’ll be any extra pressure as such – it’ll be just as big as any of the seven BTCC meetings I’ve already taken part in this year. I think it’ll just be a very enjoyable weekend.
"I’ve got lots more to do, starting off with the demonstration in Edinburgh and climbing into the Tornado on Friday.
"But what I’m really looking forward to is sleeping in my own bed on the Saturday night. My house is only a 15-minute drive from Knockhill."
Shedden has also dismissed talk that he has a better chance of winning at Knockhill because he knows the track better than any of his rivals.
"That’s nonsense," he added. "Drivers like Matt Neal, Jason Plato and Colin Turkington have raced far more laps around Knockhill than me.
"And I also never hear anyone saying the other drivers have an advantage when we go to places like Thruxton or Brands Hatch or Silverstone when they’ve all spent time instructing around there."
Shedden, though, is after a set of strong results from Knockhill’s three races on Sunday, and not just because he’ll be competing in from of his home crowd.
He said: "I had a bad time at Snetterton last time out and saw a whole load of points slip through my fingers.
"But I’ve shown I can bounce back before – I had a bad day at Croft in July but next time out at Donington Park won twice. It’s important I knuckle down at Knockhill and just get on with the job."
Admission to Knockhill's BTCC race day is FREE for children aged eight and under, while information on tickets for adults is available by calling the circuit on 01383 723337.
In addition to the BTCC's three rounds on Sunday, there will be another eight races put on by a variety of supporting championships from BMW, Porsche, SEAT, Formula Ford and Caterham.
