Rockingham BTCC: Gordon Shedden penalised for pit infringement

Shedden qualified his Honda Civic Type-R third after a last-lap flier, but has been handed a four-place grid penalty and will instead start seventh.

A red flag late on in qualifying set up a five-minute shootout for pole.

Championship regulations stipulate cars must join the track in pitbay order, which Shedden did not do at the resumption of the session.

"One of our competitors highlighted a procedural error on the behalf of our team in the pit lane at the last stoppage, and unfortunately the penalty that goes with that is four places," said Shedden.

"The error broke a regulation that governs how the cars should leave the pit lane.

"We've got to race to the rules, and it would appear that we've broken the rule and we've been punished - it is what it is and there's nothing I can do to change it."

His demotion puts him two places behind championship leader Jason Plato, who Shedden trails by nine points in the standings, on the grid.

It also promotes Jack Goff to third and hands Tom Ingram a career-best qualifying result of fourth.

Plato moves up to fifth, while Shedden's Honda team-mate Matt Neal will join the Team BMR Volkswagen CC on row two.