Honda’s Gordon Shedden the best of the title contenders in qualifying

Team Dynamics’ Gordon Shedden was the best of the realistic title contenders in qualifying at Brands Hatch, declaring himself happy with his performance to qualify on the fourth row with 66kg of ballast on board.

The reigning champion set the eighth best time in the session in his Honda Civic Type-R and was promoted to seventh following the exclusion of Tom Ingram.

The two Subaru Levorgs of Colin Turkington and Jason Plato are both ahead of Shedden on the grid, but the Scotsman finds himself ahead of the other five contenders for the 28th round of the championship.

Assessing his qualifying performance before Ingram’s exclusion, Shedden told TouringCarTimes: “Ten minutes from home I didn’t really think it was going to dry but obviously the laptimes came thick and fast and I was tumbling down the order.

“I didn’t quite get a lap together at the end, but it was OK. Eighth with 66kg in the car and to be only 0.4 off pole is not the end of the world. I’m quite happy.

“The car felt OK in the dry but it is a tough call strategy-wise for the tyres, and we didn’t quite get it at the right time.”

Looking ahead to raceday, the reigning champion says he has a simple strategy in his bid to retain the crown.

“Just keep going and score as many points as I can. That’s all we can do,” he said.