The British Touring Car Championship will be a very different place in 2018. Gordon Shedden, a staple part of the BTCC scene since 2006, will not be on the grid.
While it has yet to be officially confirmed, three-time champion Shedden is likely to end up in the World Touring Car Cup this season with Team WRT, the outfit he drove for last season in a one-off appearance in Dubai. He took pole and finished second in the opening race that weekend.
But that switch has left Honda and the bosses at Team Dynamics, Matt Neal and Barry Plowman, with something of a problem. It needs a replacement driver and it needs one fast.