Motorsport: Excess baggage

Sunday 26 August 2012

While Fifer Gordon Shedden was left contemplating what might have been, double champion Jason Plato again displayed his mastery of Knockhill.

Gordon Shedden was handed a penalty by the stewards at Knockhill yesterday Photograph: Steve Cox

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The MG driver slithered to pole position for the opening race of today's British Touring Car Championship triple-header at the Fife circuit.

Plato, who closed the gap from 29 points to 10 on championship leader Matt Neal at Snetterton a fortnight ago, is determined to leave Knockhill with the outright lead.

"Why shouldn't I?" said the Oxford-based driver, who has won at Knockhill a record eight times. "I love racing here: it's my kind of track. You really do need to hustle your car. "If I can stay out in front and win race one, then I'll be confident of winning the second race. I had a bit more in reserve if I needed it and the two Hondas have some work to do. "Plato clocked a fastest time of 57.128 seconds and lines up alongside the BMW of Rob Collard. Neal, eyeing a fourth title, is back in eighth having struggled all day with his Honda Racing Civic's boost control."Lots of things tend to happen at Knockhill, and I need to make sure I'm in the position to take full advantage of them," he said.Like Neal's car, his team-mate Shedden's is carrying maximum "success" ballast of 45kg – which made the Scot's performance all the more impressive. Fastest through the morning's opening free practice session in the dry, the 33-year-old from Dalgety Bay had looked on course for at least a top-four start in the opener after clocking a 57.482s early in qualifying.The race stewards though, thought otherwise, imposing a penalty for him running wide on the exit of the fast right-hander at Clarks."They decided I'd 'exceeded the track limits'," said Shedden, who lines up sixth after subsequently posting 57.605s, "and they removed my time for that lap from the timesheets. "Fourth would have made things a heck of a lot easier. Anyway, now I have to make sure I can at least bag a couple of good podium finishes, ideally a win. Carrying the 45kg is like having someone else in the car, but I still believe we're going to be very fiery and competitive."Inverness-based Dave Newsham, a winner last time out at Snetterton, starts 10th in his Vauxhall after his fastest time of 57.804s.The top 14 of the 19 cars racing at Knockhill were covered by less than a second.In the Porsche Carrera Cup, Fifer Rory Butcher lines up fifth and sixth for day's two races in his Celtic Speed GT3 Cup car."I'm a little disappointed," said Butcher, already a double winner this year. "I would have liked to have been starting further up the grid."Behind him, Aberdeen's Glynn Geddie starts seventh and eighth, while Glasgow's Derek Pierce lines up eighth and 11th on the 17-car grid.And 15-year-old Charlie Robertson, from Aberfoyle but based in Surrey, starts both races in the Ginetta Junior Championship on pole position.Jim McGill

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Motorsport: Excess baggage

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