Donington delivers: Laser Tools Racing bags biggest points haul of 2026
Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport delivered its biggest points haul of the 2026 BTCC season at Donington Park GP, with Gordon Shedden back on the podium and Árón Taylor-Smith producing a superbly consistent weekend as the team racked up 60 points and lifted both team and drivers up the championship tables.
Fresh from another strong showing at Knockhill, the two Toyota Corolla GR Sports were on the pace from the start at Donington. Taylor-Smith set the sixth-fastest time in Saturday practice, with Shedden 12th, before both stepped things up when qualifying got serious.
Shedden continued his impressive recent qualifying form, going second fastest in his group, while Taylor-Smith was close behind in third. Once the two groups were combined, Gordon sat fourth and Árón sixth — putting both Laser Tools Racing Toyotas firmly in the mix for the weekend ahead.
Saturday afternoon’s Qualifying Race set the grid for Sunday’s opener, with Shedden taking sixth and Taylor-Smith seventh after two clean, controlled drives.
Sunday morning brought the breakthrough. From sixth on the grid in Race 1, Shedden was immediately on the attack and, despite two Safety Car interruptions, worked his way forward to third overall. The result delivered another podium for the three-time BTCC champion and victory in the Independents’ class.
Taylor-Smith was right there with him, climbing from seventh to sixth to complete an excellent opening race for the team.
Race 2 was always going to be tougher for Shedden. His Race 1 podium meant he was required to run the hard tyre, and with rivals enjoying the advantage of softer rubber, Gordon was pushed back through the order to finish 13th.
Taylor-Smith, meanwhile, continued doing exactly what he had done all weekend — quietly and efficiently banking points. Starting sixth, he brought the Toyota home seventh to maintain his remarkably consistent run.
That left Shedden with work to do in the finale — and he responded in style. Starting 13th, the Scot charged through the pack to grab sixth at the flag, signing off with a cracking move on Patterson at the Melbourne Hairpin.
Taylor-Smith saved his best result for last. Starting fourth, he held his ground at the sharp end throughout to bring the second Laser Tools Racing Toyota home in P4, capping a weekend in which he finished every race inside the top seven.
The numbers tell the story: 60 points, an overall podium, an Independents’ victory and strong results from both sides of the garage. More importantly, Donington delivered a serious boost to the championship campaign.
Shedden climbs from 10th to eighth in the Drivers’ Championship, while Taylor-Smith moves up to 13th. Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport makes an even bigger leap, jumping from sixth to fourth in the Teams’ Championship and from third to second in the Independent Teams’ standings. Shedden and Taylor-Smith now sit third and sixth respectively in the Independents Trophy.
After a run of increasingly competitive weekends, Donington felt like another step forward. Next stop is Croft on 5–6 September — and Laser Tools Racing heads to Yorkshire with momentum firmly on its side.
Photos: Jakob Ebrey
