Gordon Shedden delighted to be back on the podium

Reigning champion Gordon Shedden said he relished the battle with Colin Turkington in race one at Snetterton, despite being pipped to the victory.

Team Dynamics’ Shedden held the lead from pole until lap eight, when his stout defences were finally breached by Team BMR’s Turkington.

Despite this, he was able to hang on to the coat-tails of the Subaru Levorg and comfortably hold off Motorbase Performance’s Mat Jackson in third

“It was a good race with Colin and there was quite a lot happening. There was a big difference in the cars and he used the strength of his well to sneak past. But big points make prizes and it’s good to get some big points,” said Shedden.

“I had to slow the car down to stop the Subaru advantage coming off the corners, as they’ve got mega traction off the slow speeds.  It was also good to keep the Ford behind on the soft tyres because we were on the standard.

“It was a thoughtful race and it was very cat and mouse in a lot of areas.

“I haven’t done a lot wrong this year, I’ve just been caught up in a lot of things. So it’s nice to get to the end and put a smile back on my face.”

Turkington remains under investigation for a jump start, but Shedden said this wasn’t something he was aware of during the battle.

“No, not until afterwards because there’s no point. In terms of what we did on the track it was great racing. I didn’t see it, but quite a lot of people said he did!” said Shedden.