Gordon Shedden Leaves Honda and British Touring Car Championship
Three-time champion rumored to be heading to international touring car racing in World Touring Car Cup.
After more than 10 years with Honda, three-time champion Gordon Shedden and Team Dynamics announced on Twitter that he is leaving the British Touring Car Championship.
The Scottish driver has been one of Honda’s longest-running staples in any form of racing. His successes date back to 2006 with the Honda Integra in his first year with Team Dynamics.
Shedden leaves behind one of the most impressive records in BTCC. He racked up 48 race wins and 124 podiums in 345 career races. His tenure included championships in 2012, 2015, and 2016 with the Honda Civic. That success also catapulted him to Top 5 finishes in driver’s points in 10 of 12 full seasons.
Shedden and longtime teammate Matt Neal also helped Team Dynamics and Honda secure five team’s championships. Neal, 52, will race the Honda Civic Type R in BTCC again in 2018 alongside a second car whose driver has not yet been named.
Neal told the Touring Car Times that Shedden “will always remain part of our Dynamics family and part of our team.”
End of an era! But what a ride it's been 👍💪😎🏆🏆🏆 https://t.co/Kj9hv0RL3W
— Gordon Shedden (@gordonshedden) January 22, 2018
Where to, Mr. Shedden?
The 38-year-old Shedden has been linked to a seat in the new-for-2018 World Touring Car Cup (WTCR). The WTCR series replaces both the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) and TCR International Series. The new series will use the more affordable TCR-spec race cars.
The Touring Car Times reported that Belgian squad Team WRT likely have links to Shedden, who raced for the team in the TCR International Series’ final round of 2017 at Dubai. Shedden would join 2017 TCR International champion Jean-Karl Vernay at Team WRT, according to the story.
Team WRT will switch from Volkswagen Golf TCRs to the TCR-spec Audi RS3 LMS. The same Touring Car Times story suggested that Team WRT has scored a sponsorship from Russian oil company Lukoil.
As a late addition to the 2018 calendar, few official announcements have been made regarding WTCR teams. However, a new Honda Civic Type R TCR car debuted at the 24 Hours of Dubai. That Type R is eligible for WTCR competition.
Photo: Team Dynamics Facebook