September 8, 2026

From setback to silverware: Shedden charges to Croft podium

Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport added another trophy to the cabinet at Croft, with Gordon Shedden battling back from a difficult start to the weekend to claim a superb third-place finish in Round 8 of the 2026 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship.

The team arrived in North Yorkshire with momentum firmly on its side after a season-best 60-point haul at Donington Park, but Croft quickly proved a very different challenge.

Saturday’s practice session gave both Toyota Corolla GR Sports plenty of useful running, with Shedden finishing P10 and Árón Taylor-Smith P17 before attention turned to qualifying.

Shedden immediately showed his hand. The Scot topped his qualifying group in the closing stages before a late shuffle left him third, just 0.198 seconds away from the fastest time. Taylor-Smith endured a tougher session, taking P10 in the same group. Once the times were combined, Gordon secured sixth on the grid, with Árón starting 20th.

Any hopes of converting that qualifying pace into a strong starting position for Sunday took a hit almost immediately in the Qualifying Race. Shedden was turned around by a rival through the opening sequence of corners, dropping him to the back and leaving both Laser Tools Racing Toyotas with plenty of work to do. Taylor-Smith eventually crossed the line 15th, with Shedden recovering to 17th.

Race 1:

Sunday brought gloomy skies, changing conditions and a chance to reset.

With the circuit wet, both drivers made the strategic call to switch tyres before the start, allowing them to get the mandatory hard compound out of the way and leave the more competitive soft tyre available for the remaining two races. With outright progress difficult, Race 1 became a case of keeping out of trouble and positioning themselves for what was to come. Shedden worked his way to P13, with Taylor-Smith P16.

Then the fightback really began.

Race 2:

Back on the soft tyre for Race 2, Shedden went on the attack. Starting 14th, he carved his way through the field with a string of sharp, well-judged overtakes, gaining eight places on his way to an excellent P6 at the flag.

Taylor-Smith also made strong progress through a packed midfield, only for a track-limits penalty to leave him P16 in the final classification.

Race 3:

Race 3 brought one final opportunity — and Shedden grabbed it. Starting fifth, the three-time BTCC champion was immediately in the fight at the sharp end, picking his way forward to claim P3 and another overall podium for Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport.

For Taylor-Smith, the finale brought more frustration. Caught up in an incident through no fault of his own, damage to the Toyota brought his race to an early end.

It was a bruising weekend at times, but Shedden’s Sunday charge ensured Croft ended with silverware. From the back of the field on Saturday to sixth and then third on Sunday, it was another reminder of the pace and fight within the Laser Tools Racing squad.

Following Round 8, Shedden sits 10th in the Drivers’ Championship, with Taylor-Smith 15th. Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport holds fifth in the Teams’ Championship and remains second in the Independent Teams’ standings. Shedden is now second in the Independents Trophy, with Taylor-Smith seventh.

Árón Taylor-Smith (#50) said:

“It was a seriously tough weekend at Croft, made harder by coming straight off the back of our best one of the year. You put absolutely everything into this, so when things outside of your control keep going against you, it's hard to take — and being wiped out at the start of race three was a brutal way to end it.

"The three-week gap before Silverstone is much needed. Some time with the family, a chance to reset, and then we go again. Mark my words, we'll finish this year on a high.”

Gordon Shedden (#52) said:

"A mixed weekend at Croft. We showed strong pace in qualifying on Saturday, but getting taken out at the opening corner ended race one before we'd even got going. Conditions were tricky, and races one and two were a battle, though making up plenty of places in race two to bag some solid points told us we had a quick, capable car. That showed in the final race with a trip to the podium and another healthy points haul. It was a great feeling to reward the team for their hard work across the weekend, and now the focus turns to Silverstone and getting more good results on the board."

Mark Blundell, Sporting Director, Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport, said:

"A challenging weekend at Croft for us as a team. A mixed qualifying for Gordon and Árón, followed by a disappointing opening race, was not the start we had hoped for. Sunday brought tricky, changeable conditions, so we looked to maximise our tyre strategy and set ourselves up for the final two races. Gordon drove superbly to climb the order in race two and rounded out his day with a hard-fought podium in race three, which was exactly what we needed. Aron battled hard all weekend, but luck was not on his side, with a track limits penalty and an early end to his final race.

"Now it is time to regroup ahead of Silverstone and keep working hard as a team to make the final two rounds of the season as successful as possible."