Home hero Shedden promises crowd-pleasing charge at Knockhill

13th August 2025

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship makes its annual jaunt north of the border to Knockhill this weekend (16-17 August), as home hero Gordon Shedden aims to continue his stellar recent run for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK with IAA in front of his adoring fans.
 
Having returned to the country’s premier motor racing series in 2025 following a two-year hiatus, Shedden has been one of the stars of the show of late, producing a vintage performance to win at Oulton Park just ahead of the summer break – the Scot’s 53rd career victory – before narrowly missing out on another rostrum result when racing resumed earlier this month at Croft.
 
Nobody knows Knockhill better than the three-time champion – who works at the track on a daily basis as its Business Development Manager – and his record there speaks for itself. The undulating Fife circuit was where Shedden made his maiden appearance in the BTCC back in 2001, recording a podium finish straight off the bat. He has since added ten more to his credit on home turf – four of them on the very top step.
 
Árón Taylor-Smith similarly made his championship bow at Knockhill, 14 years ago, placing inside the top ten first time out. On three occasions, the 35-year-old Irishman – the BTCC’s reigning Independents’ Trophy winner – has taken the chequered flag just shy of the rostrum in Scotland, finding himself pipped to the podium by a scant 0.011s by current stablemate Shedden in 2012 and falling short by less than a second last year.
 
The track might be uncharted territory for the other two members of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK with IAA’s four-strong line-up, with neither James Dorlin nor Max Buxton having previously competed there, but as two of Britain’s brightest rising stars, they can be expected to rapidly get a handle on its challenging nature and rollercoaster-like layout.
 
Yorkshireman Dorlin has twice reached the ‘Quick Six’ in qualifying during the course of his rookie campaign in the BTCC and has tallied nine points finishes thus far, while teenage talent Buxton joined the Speedworks Motorsport-run squad for the first time at Croft and is eager to build upon his positive points-scoring debut.
 
To aid their cause, Knockhill is the type of track that should play to the core strengths of the British-built Toyota Corolla GR Sport and showcase its excellent chassis. The potent Japanese ‘hot hatch’ has certainly shone there in the past, pocketing a quintet of podiums at the circuit since 2020, including the 17th of its 18 triumphs to-date 12 months ago.
 
Following Saturday afternoon’s qualifying session at 15:00 – available to watch on ITV Sport’s YouTube channel – every moment of Sunday’s doorhandle-to-doorhandle action will be shown live and in high-definition on ITV4 and ITVX from 10:45. The full race day schedule will additionally be streamed live around the globe on the BTCC YouTube channel, with the exception of the UK and North America, where there are existing broadcast agreements in-place.
 
Christian Dick, Team Principal, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK with IAA, said: “The BTCC’s annual trip north of the border is one that I think the whole paddock looks forward to. Knockhill might be compact in nature, but it unquestionably packs a punch and produces some of the most exciting and unpredictable racing of the season.
 
“It’s also, of course, Gordon’s home track, and he is sure to receive a hero’s welcome – particularly having not competed there since 2022. It’s a circuit at which he excels, and I have no doubt that he will extract the very best out of the Toyota as he did with his outstanding performances at Oulton Park and Croft.
 
“Having similarly got to grips with the Corolla during the opening half of the season, Árón and James are both primed for – and overdue – a strong weekend, while Max learnt a huge amount over the course of his debut in the championship and I look forward to seeing him put all of that extra experience into practice at Knockhill as he embarks upon the next chapter of his fledgling BTCC journey.”
 
Gordon Shedden, Driver, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK with IAA, said: “It’s always great to race at home, and it’s actually been a little while since I’ve done so. Knockhill is unique – just so different to everywhere else. With the way the corners flow from one to the next, there’s no time to take a breath around the lap and it requires maximum bravery and commitment as you tackle blind crests and go bouncing over kerbs and flying through the air.
 
“It’s a circuit that invariably produces a great spectacle, and the crowd plays such an important role. Fans get properly close to the action which generates an amazing atmosphere, and as a Scottish driver, their incredible support always gives me an extra little spring in my step.
 
“A short-wheelbase car around a tight-and-twisty track should theoretically be a recipe for success and the Corolla was strong in those areas at Croft, so hopefully we will be in a position to fight at the front. One thing’s for sure – the lap times will be extremely close so it will be super-important to ace every aspect, particularly qualifying. The goal every weekend is to reach the podium, but it would be extra-special to accomplish that on home soil – and if we don’t manage it, I guarantee it won’t be for any lack of trying...”
 
Árón Taylor-Smith, Driver, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK with IAA, said: “Knockhill is one of those tracks that I always circle on the calendar, because you can’t help but love going there. It’s like nowhere else we race at – everything about it is just so unique, and ever since I made my BTCC debut there back in 2011, I’ve naturally seemed to gel with the place. We qualified on the front row last year, and I believe we could do something very similar in the Corolla this weekend.
 
“Its undulating layout demands high commitment, which perfectly suits my driving style, so I feel like it should be a very strong weekend for us and I’m excited to rock up and put on a show. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can achieve!”
 
James Dorlin, Driver, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK with IAA, said: “I’ve never actually been to Knockhill, so it will be a completely new challenge for me and I’ve been told it’s a bit of an eye-opener, but I’ve been spending some time on the sim to try to get my eye in before the weekend and hopefully I can glean a few tips and tricks from Gordon, too!
 
“On paper, it’s the kind of circuit that should suit us. We know we’re slower on the straights than we would like to be so the long uphill drag to the start/finish line will hurt a little bit, but the majority of the lap time at Knockhill looks to come from the corners. That’s where the Corolla excels, so all things considered, we should be in decent shape and the aim will be to reproduce the kind of form we showed at Thruxton and Oulton Park.
 
“We saw over the first half of race three at Croft that when everything is working as it should, we have strong pace and the potential to fight consistently inside the top ten – if not better. Everybody in the team is as determined as I am to demonstrate what we are capable of and we’re not far away now. It’s definitely coming...”
 
Max Buxton, Driver, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK with IAA, said: “I can’t wait to go to Knockhill! I’ve never been there before, but it looks like a mega circuit and will be another new experience. Croft was a really positive debut for me in the BTCC, yielding lots of valuable information that we can carry with us into the upcoming four events, and the aim is to take another step forward this weekend.
 
“I’m really looking forward to getting back on-track and I’m ready to embrace the challenge and continue building upon the progress we’ve already made. My overall objectives haven’t changed – I want to improve in every session, learn as much as possible and do the very best job I can. Knockhill has previously produced some classic BTCC races and I’m sure this year will be no different, so I’m excited to get stuck in!”

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