Photo: BTCC

Gordon Shedden tops opening day at Snetterton

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Gordon Shedden proved to be the man to beat as he secured top honours as the BTCC’s annual summer tyre test kicked off at Snetterton.

The Team Dynamics driver was quickest in both the morning and afternoon sessions of the opening day of the two-day test at the wheel of Honda Civic Type R on what would prove to be a challenging day for the 28 drivers on track due to high temperatures at the Norfolk circuit.

Shedden’s benchmark time would come under half an hour into the afternoon session, with a lap of 1:56.404s being fractionally quicker than he had managed in the morning.

It proved to be just enough to edge out points leader Tom Ingram in the EXCELR8 Motorsport Hyundai and the NAPA Racing Ford Focus of Dan Cammish, which both lapped within 0.008s of Shedden’s fastest lap.

“It’s been pretty hot work being in the car and for the mechanics as well, but it was good,” Shedden said. “We’ve been running through some of the Goodyear programme which was good and the car balance feels great on the standard tyre. I’m looking forward to tomorrow and seeing how we go with some race runs.”

Colin Turkington took fourth spot on the times as a result of his morning lap, which had been the third quickest set in the opening four hours of running.

The Northern Irishman would be some eight tenths of a second slower in the afternoon, when he completed just ten laps.

Josh Cook was fifth – again by virtue of his morning lap – with the top six completed by Dan Rowbottom. Jake Hill, Stephen Jelley, Jason Plato and Bobby Thompson then rounded out the top ten.

The opening day of the test saw some unfamiliar faces appear on track, with Nick Tandy turning laps in the morning for Motorbase in both a NAPA Racing car as well as one of the two Apec Racing cars normally raced by Ollie Jackson and Sam Osborne.

Tandy’s fastest lap in the NAPA-backed car would be good enough for twelfth spot.

Reigning MINI CHALLENGE champion Dan Zelos meanwhile enjoyed a busy day on track with EXCELR8 as he completed more than 50 laps in one of the three Hyundais on track to end up in 26th spot, whilst fellow MINI racer Jack Mitchell was back behind the wheel of a BTCC car as he also turned laps in a NAPA Racing Focus.

Mitchell – who contested a part campaign with Team HARD last year – is part of the Motorbase Driver Development programme this season.