Gordon Shedden claimed victory in the final Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship race of the weekend at Snetterton following a brilliant defensive drive to hold off both Ash Sutton and Tom Ingram. The reigning champion surged from the back of the grid to claim a podium, but rival Sutton leaves the circuit as the championship leader.
Pole-sitter Shedden made a good launch off the line in his Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport Toyota, holding off the Cataclean Plato Racing Mercedes pairing of Daniel Rowbottom and Adam Morgan. Sutton began to move forward after starting seventh, while Rob Collard was given a ten-second penalty for a jump start almost immediately.
The two Mercedes drivers traded places on the second lap, but it was Ingram who was the big early-race mover, working his way up into tenth by the end of lap three after starting from the back following his Race 2 DNF. Ahead, Sutton made his move on his NAPA Racing UK teammate to claim fourth before making easy work of the two Plato Racing drivers in front of him.
Meanwhile, Ingram had worked his way up into fifth as Sutton started to chase down the leading chrome blue Toyota. Behind, a tussle between Rowbottom, Daryl De Leon and Tom Chilton had dragged Ingram into a potentially jeopardous situation, but the two-time champion held his nerve to cut through the pack and move into the podium positions.
Both Rowbottom and Morgan started to drop back, with the BMWs of De Leon and Charles Rainford showing better late-race pace. Up-front, Sutton closed to the back of Shedden, but the Scottish racer held his nerve to defend brilliantly as Sutton launched attack after attack into turn one and two. Ingram soon joined the battle, pressuring Sutton as Shedden put some daylight between himself and the pursuing NAPA Racing UK machine. On the final lap, Ingram attempted a brave move around the outside of Sutton, but to no avail, as Shedden crossed the finish line to claim a well-earned win and his first for the Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport team.
Sutton held on for second to ensure that he would leave the Norfolk venue as the championship leader, while Ingram completed his fantastic recovery drive to the podium. De Leon came out on top in the battle for fourth for WSR, followed by Chris Smiley in the Restart Racing Hyundai i30N.
Race 1 winner Rainford was sixth, while Adam Morgan crossed the line in seventh. Eighth went to Chilton with Cammish ninth after losing out in the closing stages. The Plato Racing Mercedes of Rowbottom completed the top ten.
Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, Snetterton, Race 3
- Gordon Shedden, Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport
- Ash Sutton, NAPA Racing UK, Ford Focus Titanium, +0.728s
- Tom Ingram, Team VERTU, Hyundai i30N, +0.923s
- Daryl De Leon, WSR, BMW 330i M Sport, +3.226s
- Chris Smiley, Restart Racing, Hyundai i30N, +4.975s
- Charles Rainford, WSR, BMW 330i M Sport, +5.698s
- Adam Morgan, Cataclean Plato Racing, Mercedes A35 Saloon, +6.945s
- Tom Chilton, Team VERTU, Hyundai i30N, +7.093s
- Dan Cammish, NAPA Racing UK, Ford Focus Titanium, +11.756s
- Daniel Rowbottom, Cataclean Plato Racing, Mercedes A35 Saloon, +12.494s
Click here for full results and times from this weekend's event.