Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport hit the ground running at Donington Park!
If opening weekends are about laying down a marker, then Laser Tools Racing didn’t just turn up at Donington Park—they made sure everyone noticed.
The 2026 British Touring Car Championship campaign kicked off with the usual blend of optimism, chaos and uncompromising racing—and Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport left the Donington venue with silverware, strong points, and the distinct sense that this two-car operation means business.
With our drivers Gordon Shedden and Árón Taylor-Smith now forming a formidable driver line-up, the expanded squad arrived with intent. A 40-race season is a marathon, not a sprint—but this was no cautious jog out of the blocks.
Saturday’s all-new format threw in an early curveball with the Qualifying Race, and both drivers handled it with typical no-nonsense efficiency. The reward? Mid-pack starting positions for Sunday. Not ideal—but in the BTCC, that’s often where the fun starts.
Race 1:
Sunday’s opener was classic BTCC mayhem. Panels rubbing, positions changing by the corner, and absolutely no margin for hesitation. Shedden—unsurprisingly—kept his head while others lost theirs. The Scot picked his way through the chaos with the kind of composure that only comes from doing this hundreds of times before, hauling the Corolla up to fifth.
Taylor-Smith wasn’t hanging about either. The Irishman showed exactly why he’s such a valuable addition to the team—decisive, committed, and always moving forward. Eighth place might not grab headlines, but carving through the field on race pace alone sends a very clear message: this car is quick.
A double top-ten to open the season? Solid. But this team wasn’t here for “solid.”
Race 2:
Then came the first real statement: Shedden rolled the dice on the soft compound Goodyear tyre—a call that can make you look like a genius or leave you hanging on for dear life. This time, it was emphatically the former.
From the moment the lights went out, “Flash” was on it. Aggressive when it mattered, clinical when it counted, and absolutely relentless in the charge forward. By the closing stages, he wasn’t just in the podium fight—he was defending it with everything he had.
And that’s where experience earns its keep.
Over 400 race starts distilled into a masterclass in racecraft: positioning the car, managing the tyres, and shutting the door—firmly but fairly—on a queue of very eager challengers. Third place, a first podium in Laser Tools blue for Shedden, and an Independents victory to go with it. Job done? Not quite—but that’s the benchmark set.
Taylor-Smith, sticking to the medium tyre strategy, added more points in 11th. Not flashy, but crucial. Championships are built on days like that.
Race 3:
Reverse-grid races in the BTCC rarely reward the faint-hearted, and this one was no exception. If Race 1 was busy, Race 3 was borderline brutal.
Both drivers had to dig in. Hard racing, tight margins, and zero room to breathe—but crucially, both cars came home in one piece. Taylor-Smith in 12th, Shedden in 14th, and—perhaps most importantly—a 100% points-scoring weekend for the team.
It’s the kind of result that doesn’t always make the highlight reel, but engineers and team managers will quietly appreciate: no damage, full data, maximum return.
Strip it all back, and the numbers tell a compelling story. Podium. Independents win. Points in every race. Strong championship positions straight out of the gate. Shedden sits third in the Independents standings, Taylor-Smith seventh. The team? Third in the Independent Teams’ Championship and fourth overall. Not bad for a “starting point.”
Gordon Shedden (#52) commented:
“It’s always a great feeling to start the new season with some silverware; the first round of the year hasn’t always been the kindest to me in the past, so hopefully this is a sign of good things to come this year with Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport.”
“We definitely had to dig in deep at times over the weekend and hustle a bit, but to leave with a podium, an Independent win, three points finishes and no damage is a good day’s work, and it’s given us plenty of avenues to go down when it comes to preparing for next time out at Brands Hatch.”
Árón Taylor-Smith (#50) was enthusiastic:
“Coming away with three points finishes from my first weekend with Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport is certainly something I’m happy about.
“We made significant with the Corolla over the winter, but didn’t quite find the sweet spot on my side of the garage this weekend.
“As a team, though, I think we performed really well, and now we’re going to a track that we’ve tested at in pre-season testing, and plays to the car’s strengths a little bit more.
“We’ll do a little bit of homework between now and then, and come out swinging at Brands Hatch.”
Mark Blundell, Sporting Director, Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport said:
“Overall, it’s a good start to the season; both Gordon and Árón drove well, kept their noses clean and brought home some silverware, and a decent amount of points between them, which has set us up nicely as a starting point for the rest of the year.
“Getting that first podium under our belts is definitely the highlight. Gordon on the podium and the iconic blue of Laser Tools Racing are probably two of the images most synonymous with the BTCC over the last decade, so to see them together up there was a fantastic moment, especially with so many of our partners there to share in it.
“But we’re hungry for more as a team, so naturally the focus now is on taking the positives, but equally challenging those areas we feel we need to improve upon to make that a more regular occurrence.”
Laser Tools Racing will return at Brands Hatch, 9-10 May.
Photos: Jakob Ebrey
