Gordon Shedden “not taking risks” as season nears business end

Gordon Shedden was delighted with his podium result in the opening Silverstone race, while his championship rivals faltered with tyre issues.

The championship leader entered the weekend six points clear of main title rival Jason Plato, but after a difficult race saw a number of the top drivers falter, Shedden now holds a 21 point lead over Plato after impressively working his Honda Civic Type-R, laden with 75kg to the final step on the podium.

“75kgs to finish on the podium at a circuit where we haven’t had the best run in the past is great,” Shedden told TouringCarTimes. “I get to lose a bit of weight now, certainly looked like the soft tyres really held out well in that race and I’ve got them to look forward to in race two. I’ve just got to keep scoring the points, that’s all we can do. The championship will twist, it’ll turn and I’m sure that’ll continue as the day goes on and I’ve just got to try and stay out of trouble and do the best I can.”

As the season nears its closing stages, Shedden admits that points are at the forefront of his mind, not wanting to risk a potential issue that could cost him the cushion he now holds over the rest of the field.

“There’s no point in taking any risks with Andrew Jordan or Mat Jackson as I’m not necessarily racing them in the championship,” explained Shedden. “But you’ve still got to get points and make hay while the sun shines, if the cars good enough you’ve got to go for it. But I don’t want to over commit and leave myself a problem. I’ve just got to keep going, maybe today’s the day I need to play for a reverse grid in race three.”