Gordon Shedden added to the recent Laser Tools with MB Motorsport joy by winning in Round 9 of the British Touring Car Championship at Snetterton.

Seven was the number drawn for the reverse grid Race 3, so the Laser Tools Corolla of Shedden was on pole, with the Plato Racing pair of Dan Rowbottom and Adam Morgan following him off the line. Race 2 winner Ash Sutton started seventh in his NAPA Racing Ford, with Race 1 supremo Charles Rainford from eighth in his WSR BMW.

Order amongst the top three was maintained through the first corners of Race 3, as dust sprayed from the surface due to a few cars being hustled wide at the first turn. However, the stewards issued Ricky Collard a ten-second time penalty for a false start from his Team VERTU Hyundai.

Lewis Selby was the biggest loser of the opening tour, with the NAPA Racing man dropping all the way to last. At the other end of the field, Morgan got by his teammate cleanly to promote himself to second, with Shedden still calm out front.

Sutton started well, but not quite the sensation of his Race 2. His Ford made its way to fifth, and set a fastest lap in the process, by the end of the second lap.

Tom Ingram had climbed his way up to ninth after three laps, with his VERTU Hyundai speeding through from the back of the grid. Championship rival Sutton had also made his way up one into fourth.

A tense battle between Sutton and Rowbottom would ensue, with the medium tyre-strapped Mercedes being no match for Sutton’s charge into the podium places. With four laps gone, Shedden and Morgan had built themselves a gap of two seconds to the chasers, while the Corolla had come under no direct pressure from the Mercedes.

‘Rowbo’ would fall further as Dan Cammish would guide his NAPA Focus past at the start of the sixth lap, before Tom Chilton’s Hyundai and Rainford’s BMW got by a few corners later. Ingram then eclipsed Rainford with a bold move into Nelson, moving his way into sixth.

Sutton’s rise through the pack continued as he got by Morgan on lap seven, while Ingram also got by Cammish at the end of the back straight. Sutton now stood within a second of Shedden’s lead, and plenty could begin to predict yet another drive through the field for the NAPA man.

Sutton dove down the inside of Shedden into Wilson, but the Corolla kept its cool and got his place back into Palmer. The pair continued battling through the remainder of the lap, though their fight allowed Morgan’ Mercedes, plus the pair of Chilton and Ingram, to close up.

The two leaders continued their excellent battle through the ninth lap, once again duelling through to the tight infield section. However, Shedden managed to deny his foe yet again. Just behind, Ingram and Morgan were engaging in an identically tight fight, with Morgan also holding the faster car behind.

With three to go, the four mentioned were all within a second of the lead, as Ingram completed a fine move on Morgan into Nelson.

Ingram caught Sutton and the pair engaged in a feisty battle at the start of the final lap, with Sutton just holding his lead after dipping into the dirt. All this benefitted Shedden, who pulled into a one second lead and cruised to the flag.

Sutton held off Ingram to follow behind, with the WSR of Daryl De Leon and Restart Racing Hyundai of Chris Smiley rounding out the best five.

Rainford ended his race in sixth, while Morgan, Chilton, Cammish, and Rowbottom all fell places to complete the top ten.

Mikey Doble climbed his LKQ Audi to 11ᵗʰ, followed by Árón Taylor-Smith’s Laser Tools Corolla, Sam Osborne’s NAPA Ford, Aiden Moffat’s Audi, with Josh Cook’s Speedworks Corolla rounding out the points scorers.