Shedden helps Honda to 1-2posted in KNOCK05 | 09 | 2010

    FIFER Gordon Shedden helped Honda to a 1-2 finish in the second of the British Touring Car Championship's three races at Knockhill today, but the Scot was denied back-to-back wins by his Team Honda team-mate Matt Neal.

    The former BTCC champ muscled his way past the 31-year-old from Dalgety Bay at the approach to the tight right-hand Hairpin, and though the Scot hounded his more experienced team-mate right to the end of the race the positions remained unchanged.

    "| knew Gordon was quicker than me, despite the fact he was carrying 27kg more ballast than me," Neal explained. "I was never able to relax right through the race." Shedden meanwhile acknowledged the extra weight cost him the win.

    "It's a lot of extra weight to carry into a corner and it definitely affects the car most under braking," the Scot, who finished just 0.487s behind Neal, said, " which is why Matt got me at the Hairpin. But through the second half of the race my car was awesome.

    "There was never any chance I'd do anything silly to try and get passed him. If it had been a Chevrolet in front of me, I'd have been diving right down inside to try and muscle my way through.

    "This is the ideal result for Team Honda and we have to remember first and foremost we're here to win the manufacturers' title for Honda. But so far it's been a good weekend for me."

    Championship leader Jason Plato finished third and heads into the day's final race leading Neal by 24 points with Shedden and further five behind.

    Jim McGill

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