Shedden delivers Knockhill silverware in front of home crowd
Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport added more silverware to its 2026 BTCC campaign at Knockhill, with Gordon Shedden delivering a podium and Independent victory in front of his home crowd, while Árón Taylor-Smith battled hard for further championship points.
Arriving in Scotland with a race victory already secured by each of its drivers this season, the team had every reason to feel confident — and Shedden quickly gave the Knockhill faithful something to cheer about.
Taylor-Smith was first into qualifying but a mechanical issue prevented him from showing the Toyota Corolla GR Sport’s true pace, leaving him P15 in a fiercely competitive opening group.
Shedden then lit up the second session. The Scot topped the times with a rapid 50.860-second lap before ultimately missing pole by the smallest of margins — just 0.030 seconds. He carried that speed into Saturday’s qualifying race, staying right in the fight at the front and taking an impressive P2 at the flag. Taylor-Smith fought through the midfield to finish P14.
Come Sunday, Knockhill produced exactly what you’d expect: rain, changing grip and plenty of action.
Race 1 was Shedden at his best. In soaking conditions and with visibility at a premium, the three-time BTCC champion used all his experience to keep the Toyota firmly in the leading battle. P3 at the chequered flag delivered another overall podium for Laser Tools Racing — and victory in the Independents’ category. Taylor-Smith also made progress, gaining two places on his way to P12.
Conditions improved for Race 2, although a cool and damp circuit kept grip levels unpredictable. Starting from the front row but running the harder tyre, Shedden faced an uphill fight against rivals on the quicker soft compound. He dug in to bring the car home seventh, banking another useful haul of points.
Taylor-Smith was again in the thick of the midfield action and making progress before being pushed wide into the gravel. He recovered to P13, but the result didn’t reflect the pace he had shown.
Race 3 brought a frustrating end to an otherwise positive weekend. Now armed with the softer tyre, Shedden looked ready to attack — only for an opening-lap puncture to force an immediate trip to the pits and effectively end his challenge.
There was still time to make a statement. Back on track, Gordon fired in the fastest race lap of the entire weekend to secure the David Leslie Trophy — a fitting piece of silverware for the home favourite at a circuit where he has enjoyed so much success.
Taylor-Smith also endured a difficult finale, with the two Laser Tools Racing Toyotas eventually crossing the line P23 and P17. The final race may have been one to forget, but the bigger picture from Knockhill was much brighter: front-running qualifying pace, P2 in the qualifying race, an overall podium, an Independent victory and the fastest race lap of the weekend.
Shedden leaves Scotland 10th in the Drivers’ Championship, with Taylor-Smith 14th. Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport sits sixth in the Teams’ standings and remains third in the Independent Teams’ Championship.
Next stop is Donington Park’s GP circuit on 22–23 August, with the team looking to turn its Knockhill speed into another strong weekend.
Árón Taylor-Smith (#50) commented:
“It was a challenging weekend for us and, after the issue in qualifying, we were always playing catch-up, but the car had good race pace. When you’re running in the midfield at a circuit like Knockhill, you’re always going to be in the thick of the action, and unfortunately we found ourselves on the wrong side of a few incidents, which made it difficult to make the progress we were looking for. We know what the car is capable of at these types of circuits, so we’ll take the positives from the weekend and keep pushing. There’s still a lot of racing to come this season, and we need to make sure we maximise the opportunities when they come.”
Gordon Shedden (#52) commented:
“It’s always special to race at Knockhill, but to stand on the podium in front of the home crowd makes it even better. We had a really quick car all weekend, which was proven by winning the David Leslie Trophy for the fastest race lap of the weekend in Race Three, and were just fractions away from pole on Saturday. It was great to come away with a podium and an Independents win, but there’s a little bit of a feeling of what might have been after the puncture in Race Three, as we were on the soft tyre and could have had a really strong race. There are plenty of positives to take from the weekend, though, and we’ve added some important points to the championship.”
Mark Blundell, Sporting Director, Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport, said:
“Knockhill has given us plenty to be positive about, particularly with Gordon’s performance in front of his home crowd. A front-row qualifying result, podium and Independent victory, along with second in the qualifying race, is a strong return and shows the pace we have in the package. Árón had a tougher weekend and was hampered by the issue in qualifying, but he fought hard throughout and brought home valuable points for the team. We know we still have to keep improving and, most importantly, maximise the opportunities when they come our way, so our full focus now turns to Donington, where we’ll be looking to build on this performance.”
Photos: Jakob Ebrey
