Snetterton BTCC: Shedden excluded from qualifying as Dynamics blames ‘finger trouble’

Three-time British Touring Car champion Gordon Shedden has been stripped of his Snetterton pole position for a rear-wing infringement.

Gordon Shedden, Team Dynamics Honda Civic Type R

Team Dynamics, the squad that runs the Scot’s Honda Civic Type R, has blamed “finger trouble” for a mistake in the rear-wing angle.

The mistake means Shedden is excluded from qualifying and will start Sunday’s opening race from 29th and last on the grid.

It elevates four-time champion Colin Turkington’s West Surrey Racing-run BMW 330i M Sport to pole, and Tom Ingram’s Excelr8 Motorsport Hyundai i30 N to the front row.

Dynamics boss Matt Neal told Autosport: “They found the rear wing was one degree the wrong way.

“It should be one degree one way, but it was one degree the other way.

“The way people have reported it so far, it makes out that we’ve been cheating, but that’s obviously not the case.

“The wing was just set incorrectly – it was a finger problem.”

Shedden is already on the back foot in the championship following a bad opening weekend at Thruxton.

He crashed out of the first race in Hampshire, and struggled in the second after Dynamics ran out of time for a proper repair job.

An inspired drive in the reversed-grid wet-dry finale brought Shedden fourth place from back of the grid, less than a quarter of a second from finishing second.

Gordon Shedden, Team Dynamics Honda Civic Type R

Gordon Shedden, Team Dynamics Honda Civic Type R

Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images

After claiming pole at Snetterton, Shedden agreed that running without success ballast as a result of his Thruxton weekend made this an extremely important weekend for gathering points.

“We’ve just got to get some points back onto the board,” he said.

But despite the disappointment, Neal had no complaint about the penalty for the infringement.

“Rules are rules,” he added. “If the wing had been one degree the other way, it would have made absolutely no difference to our performance.

“If anything, it was hampering us technically and giving us more drag.

“What can you say?”

Ironically, it was Shedden’s team-mate Dan Rowbottom who was the fastest to miss out on making it into the top 10 qualifying shootout, and who therefore inherits the position on the outside of the fifth row.

shares
comments

Related video

Snetterton BTCC: Shedden beats Turkington to first pole of comeback

Hill proud of Motorbase/MB team for full-ballast Snetterton qualifying

A BTCC star tests the cars that transformed tin-top racing

A BTCC star tests the cars that transformed tin-top racing

Plus
Plus
Historics
Kevin Turner

A BTCC star tests the cars that transformed tin-top racing A BTCC star tests the cars that transformed tin-top racing

Can the BTCC's underrated Toyota ace stake his claim to a title?

Can the BTCC's underrated Toyota ace stake his claim to a title?

Plus
Plus
BTCC
Marcus Simmons

Can the BTCC's underrated Toyota ace stake his claim to a title? Can the BTCC's underrated Toyota ace stake his claim to a title?

Autosport writers' most memorable moments of 2022

Autosport writers' most memorable moments of 2022

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
Autosport Staff

Autosport writers' most memorable moments of 2022 Autosport writers' most memorable moments of 2022

How the BTCC's new hybrid era aced its first test

How the BTCC's new hybrid era aced its first test

Plus
Plus
BTCC
Donington Park
Marcus Simmons

How the BTCC's new hybrid era aced its first test How the BTCC's new hybrid era aced its first test

The Ford BTCC superteam combining two reigning TOCA champions

The Ford BTCC superteam combining two reigning TOCA champions

Plus
Plus
BTCC
Marcus Simmons

The Ford BTCC superteam combining two reigning TOCA champions The Ford BTCC superteam combining two reigning TOCA champions

The stalwart tin-top boss still shaping careers more than 40 years on

The stalwart tin-top boss still shaping careers more than 40 years on

Plus
Plus
BTCC
Marcus Simmons

The stalwart tin-top boss still shaping careers more than 40 years on The stalwart tin-top boss still shaping careers more than 40 years on

The grassroots rise that shaped an understated BTCC star

The grassroots rise that shaped an understated BTCC star

Plus
Plus
BTCC
Marcus Simmons

The grassroots rise that shaped an understated BTCC star The grassroots rise that shaped an understated BTCC star

Ranking the top 10 BTCC drivers of 2021

Ranking the top 10 BTCC drivers of 2021

Plus
Plus
BTCC
Marcus Simmons

Ranking the top 10 BTCC drivers of 2021 Ranking the top 10 BTCC drivers of 2021

Subscribe