UNDER
With Clare Lawrence Gordon Shedden is a British Touring Car Championship racing driver and he holds titles in the 1997 Scottish KTM Championship and the 2000 Ford Fiesta Championship, with 9 wins. He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and now lives in Dalgety Bay in Fife. He races for Honda Racing alongside team-mate Matt Neal. Gordon, also know as Gordon “FLASH” Shedden had 6 wins in 2011 and came 2nd overall. This was 1 more win than in 2010 and a position higher in total. He is aiming for the number 1 spot for 2012! Hi Gordon… It’s great to be interviewing you… Thank you for accepting this interview for the Costa Car Trader and I hope that we can do this again soon in the near future… How was 2011 for you for racing? 2011 was a great year overall with the usual mix of Touring Car ups and downs… To be fair the Civic was a great car all year and the fact we finished 1st and 2nd in the drivers’ championship as well as clearing up in the manufacturers and teams championship shows how competitive we were... Now we have to look forward to the 2012 season and the brand new Honda Civic… What would you say was the best time last year? Probably to win at Knockhill… I only get to race in Scotland once a year but the support I get from the fans is truly something special at Knockhill…
A T S
Do you have many hobbies…? If so, can you tell me about them?
O C
Not much time for hobbies but at the moment I’m doing a bit of Trials biking in the winter for fun and fitness… I’m not quite Dougie Lampkin yet (not even close) but I’m having fun with it…
You live and were born in Scotland… Is home where your heart is?
GORDON SHEDDEN
Absolutely…There have been many opportunities to move south but I’m only ever an hour away on a plane so for now the scenery and lifestyle of Scotland still outweighs the roundabouts of Milton Keynes…
Do you have a moment that is the most memorable for you with your racing?
Can you tell me more about your appearance on Top Gear? I’ve now done a few appearances for Top Gear…Usually with other BTCC drivers and usually racing something stupid… We’ve done buses, airport vehicles and the latest is movie vehicles which were on the Top Gear Xmas DVD… We have a lot of fun doing the features, sometimes it gets a bit hairy that’s for sure…. All in the name of good TV of course.
A C
T R
I got to race in Macau a few years back… It’s an island just off Hong Kong… A phenomenal street circuit… Racing wise we only ever really see the airport, circuit and hotel, even if we are testing in Spain over the winter it’s not as glam as it may sound.
How do you mentally and physically psyche yourself up before a race?
R E D
A R
Where have you travelled to that you may not have had the chance if you weren’t in the career that you are?
T E .N
All the wins are great but I guess it’s the next win you are looking forward too!!
It’s my job; it’s what I do... It’s the calming down the excitement that’s the hardest bit. With 3 races a day you have to control your thoughts... It’s easy if you have a great 1st and 2nd race but if it’s a tough day you always have to treat each race individually and maximise your performance... Do you feel that the support you get from your team and also from your family, friends and fans helps you perform better? It is nice to see the fans get behind me so much… Last year more than ever I have noticed the increasing following I have so I just do my best to try and give them the results we want… Are fans still sending fan mail via “snail mail” or does most of their mail come via email, your website and social networking sites like Twitter and facebook? Everything is on Twitter/facebook now… It’s just so instant and up-to-date… I’m kind of losing facebook interest a bit but I’m obsessed with Twitter!
Thanks again Gordon, it’s been great chatting to you and I look forward to doing this again! You can find out more about Gordon, by visiting his website at: www.gordonshedden.com Good Luck for 2012 from us all at the CCT!
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