Shedden to make BTCC return with Team Dynamics test role

Triple British Touring Car champion Gordon Shedden will re-join Team Dynamics in a 'testing capacity' to step in for the injured Matt Neal during the factory Honda squad's pre-season testing programme.

Shedden stepped away from the BTCC at the end of 2017 to race in the WTCR with the WRT Audi team for the past two seasons. The 41-year old will make his return to the series to aid his former team's 2020 preparation as triple champion Neal continues to recover from a cycling accident.

His return to the Team Dynamics fold will allow Shedden the opportunity to drive the latest Honda Civic Type R FK8 for the first time after previously winning back-to-back titles in 2015 and '16 in the older FK2 model.

“Team Dynamics has always been my race family and I’m happy to help out. We have kept in constant contact since I went to WTCR and I have been down and seen the boys on a number of occasions over that two year period," said Shedden.

"Obviously, my friendship with Matt means I really feel for him, and hope that he can make a speedy recovery, but at the business end we need to get the job done and get the cars race ready for the start of the season.

"I haven’t driven the Honda Civic Type R FK8 yet so I’m really looking forward to getting behind the wheel and assisting with its development. Both Matt and Dan have been telling me how awesome it is to drive, so it will be interesting to compare it to the old FK2 that I won back-to-back drivers titles in 2015 and 2016!”

Neal, meanwhile, faces a race against time to get fit for the Donington Park season opener at the end of next month.

The 53-year old says his recovery is going well and underlined the importance of getting Shedden behind the wheel of the latest Honda, which has undergone a raft of changes for the 2020 season.

“My recovery is going well and everything is starting to mend; I’m doing everything possible to get in the car for the first round at Donington at the end of March," said Neal.

"However, we have undertaken a lot of changes to the car over the winter period that we need to try on track and we need to do this with a back to back comparative test programme. So there was no better choice than my old team mate Flash.

"He knows the team, he knows our work ethic and he is the natural choice to jump into my seat.”