BTCC Snetterton: Shedden defeats Collard with last-lap lunge

The factory Honda Civic driver, who only carried nine kilos of success ballast in to the race, was able to track and pass BMW rival Rob Collard on the very last lap to snatch victory.

A first start was curtailed after a startline shunt at the initial getaway when an ITV cameraman was lucky to escape injury when a car rolled in to his camera tower.

At the restart, Jason Plato powered his Subaru Levorg into the lead initially from Collard and Mat Jackson's Motorbase Performance Ford Focus, after poleman Sam Tordoff had already been forced to retire when the propshaft failed on his BMW 125i M Sport.

Collard jumped ahead of Plato going through the Oggies and Williams corners on the second lap of the race to snatch the lead, and Plato was left to fend off Jackson.

However, the two came to blows on lap three, which caused damage to the Focus and shuffled Plato down the order.

Shedden was already up to fifth by this stage and took fourth from Rob Austin's Handy Motorsport Toyota Avensis on lap three, the Scotsman then profiting from Plato and Jackson's clash to jump to second.

Although Collard was two second up the road, Shedden tracked the BMW and passed him through the Hamilton and Oggies complex on the final lap, despite damage to both cars.

"With four laps to go, that win wasn't on," said Shedden. "With three laps to go, I thought it might be.

"I could see Rob's tyres going off and I pressed hard. I had it in hand by just half a lap."

Austin held on for third place ahead of Plato, with the feisty Andrew Jordan, up from 14th on the grid, finishing in fifth place.

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