Shedden masters damp conditions at Oulton Park

A damp Oulton Park led to an action packed opening BTCC race, with tyre choice playing a major part in Gordon Shedden’s victory. With light rain failing on an already damp track, the Scotsman opted to go for slick tyres on the front and wets at the rear, a decision that resulted in his second win of the year, from Jason Plato and Alex MacDowall.

Behind the two Chevrolet Cruzes came a fast charging James Nash, who charged through the field thanks to also opting for the slick/wet split like race winner Shedden.

With some drivers opting to start on wets all round, others on slicks on all four corners and some, like Shedden and Nash with a combination, it was always going to be an entertaining start to the Oulton Park weekend.

From the start Matt Neal initially led with wets all round, heading Shedden and the rest of the grid. Behind Jeff Smith made a slow getaway to drop down the order, while Dave Newsham’s slick equipped SEAT ran wide at Old Hall on the wet track.

Second time round and third placed starter Andy Neate was past Shedden going into Old Hall, briefly claiming second before the Honda dived back past further round the lap.

Off at the Island hairpin was Andrew Jordan, briefly making contact with the tyre wall before rejoining, as the drivers not on wets struggled in the light rain. Two drivers not struggling were Lea Wood and Tom Onslow-Cole, with the pair shooting up the order over the opening laps and into the lower reaches of the top ten.

Lap four saw Shedden comfortably passing Neal going into Island for the lead, with Plato passing Neate exiting the same bend and immediately closing onto Neal’s heavily ballasted Honda Civic.

Plato tailed the Civic around the remainder of the lap, coming close to squeezing past at Old Hall, before making his move stick up the inside of Neal at the chicane, while behind MacDowall passed Neate on the outside at the same corner.

Also rising up the order was Collard, passing Neate and then following MacDowall past Neal at the chicane as the Championship leader dropped back down the order.

With the track drying Shedden began to pull out a comfortable lead over Plato, MacDowall and Collard while behind the top four the order changed continuously. Nash passed Wood to take eighth, immediately latching onto Neate and Neal as he lapped three seconds a lap quicker.

The Triple Eight driver dispatched Neate at the chicane on lap ten and then Neal exiting Druids further round the lap. Also rising up the order was Nick Foster, as the BMWs enjoyed the wet conditions, overtaking Wood at Lodge as the Integra tried to pass Neate, with Foster making swift work of dispatching Neate with a decisive move down the inside at Cascades.

A lap later and Foster repeated the move on Neal, with Wood also passing the double BTCC Champion along the Lakeside straight.

With Neate and Neal squabbling over eighth this allowed a recovering Smith and a slick shod Tom Boardman to catch them. The SEAT in particular looked menacing entering the final lap, passing Smith and Neate to chase Neal down the Lakeside straight, with the pass looking inevitable.

Behind though Smith and Neate made contact on the straight, with the white Vauxhall being turned across the front of the Ford and backwards along the wet grass. Re-joining the circuit rapidly in reverse the Vectra shunted heavily into the unlucky Boardman, putting both out on the spot.

At the front Shedden comfortably took the win ahead of Plato and MacDowall, while Nash managed pass Collard on the penultimate circuit for fourth. Fifth and sixth were the two WSR BMWs, ahead of Wood’s BTC-spec Integra taking a highly creditable seventh on his 2011 debut.

Neal, Neate and Jordan rounded out the top ten, with Newsham taking the fastest lap thanks to his slick tyres, on the way to 12th in his first start in the front wheel drive SEAT Leon.

Race Two takes place at 14.30 GMT.