Flash dedicates win to Leslie

Team Halfords has secured its first win of the 2008 HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship season after Gordon ‘Flash’ Shedden drove a sterling lights to flag race and mastered tricky conditions at the Rockingham circuit in Northamptonshire.
Flash has now moved up to third in the championship standings with Sonic improving to eighth, while Team Halfords scored solid points over the weekend to move to second in the teams’ championship.

On the weekend when the BTCC paddock remembered Richard Lloyd and David Leslie, Shedden secured a win that he was able to dedicate to his fellow Scot, while his team-mate Tom ‘Sonic’ Chilton secured his first podium finish for the team in the final race of the weekend.

The final race, held in torrential conditions after a heavy down pour hit the track, saw Gordon start from fifth on the grid, He drove a superb race, taking the flag in fourth despite the Scot being forced to deal with low visibility when his car misted up.

Tom Chilton meanwhile made an excellent start from second and made the most of a mid-race Safety Car to launch a bid for the lead against Colin Turkington. Tom took the lead with a fantastic late braking move at Deene on lap 14 only to then run wide as he struggled for visibility and slipped back to fourth. However, Tom wasn’t going to give up and kept his foot firmly planted and fought his way back through the pack and battled ahead of Adam Jones and Turkington to secure second place behind the rain master and eventual race winner Matt Neal.

Gordon Shedden said afterwards: “To stick it on pole was a bonus as I was about a second quicker than on the media day. To win race one under the circumstances was really special, and I want to dedicate that win to David Leslie. Two fourth places finishes after that are results I’m delighted with, especially with the ballast onboard in race two and the fact I couldn’t see anything in race three because my car steamed up. I’m delighted to bring it home in one piece and to get some solid points. I’ve won at Donington Park for the last two years, so it is a happy hunting ground for me and here’s hoping I can add to it next time out.”