BTCC Croft: Shedden beats Cook in finale

The Scottish three-time champion drove his Team Dynamics Honda Civic Type R away on the opening lap to the tune of 1.545 seconds, was over 2s to the good by the end of lap two, extended the margin beyond 3s, and finished 2.528s in front.

It was a strong comeback for Shedden, who had suspension damage from a clash with Ash Sutton in the opening race, and then battled his way to 12th – and the critical reversed-grid pole – in race two.

He was helped on the opening lap by the antics behind. Shedden’s brother-in-law Rory Butcher passed Tom Chilton around the outside at the first turn, and then attempted to emulate that move on Stephen Jelley.

But Butcher and Jelley ran wide and cut the chicane, and Butcher rejoined onto the back straight in front of Josh Cook.

Butcher then backed off and allowed Cook back ahead, but Shedden had already made the break.

“I looked in my mirrors at the exit of Turn 2 and I had 50 or 100 metres on them, and it was a cruise to the end,” said Shedden. “They all got into each other, but this was one of those times when the cards fall your way.

“My car’s been fantastic all weekend, and that’s why I was so disappointed in race one – I thought it was weekend ruined.

“I just feel that we should have had more today. We were in a position to score high in all three races, but at least we salvaged something.”

Gordon Shedden, Halfords Racing with Cataclean Honda Civic Type R

Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images

Cook has been struggling with straightline speed on his BTC Racing Honda, which uses the TOCA customer engine instead of the bespoke Neil Brown Honda units in the Dynamics Civics, all weekend.

But he used his terrific racecraft to fend off the Speedworks Motorsport Toyota Corolla of Butcher – also TOCA