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Take one three-time BTCC champion, add one raucous Ford GT40 and let them simmer for lap after lap of the Goodwood Motor Circuit. That was the recipe for the Gurney Cup practice session, where Gordon Shedden put on a terrific display of car control that earned him and teammate Miles Griffiths a shot at pole position, that was only scuppered by Dario Franchitti in Sean Lynn's 'Tesie' GT40.
Video: Shedden on the limit chasing pole in a Ford GT40
The GT40 may be about as diametrically opposed to the Honda Civic Type R that Shedden pedalled to his BTCC championship wins, but he’s no stranger to getting the very best from thundering GT cars at Goodwood. His experience is plainly evident in this video as he hustles the Ford from corner to corner, lights ablaze and scything through the pack. The interspersed sequence of onboard footage shows just how calm and measured his inputs are – despite the blistering pace, things at the wheel are never anything less than cool, composed and collected.
The Gurney Cup is named after Dan Gurney, whose sparing, mechanically sympathetic driving style earned the American legions of fans. The cars on the grid are sports prototypes from Gurney’s early 1960s heyday. In addition to several GT40s, you’ll witness a whole host of evocative machines making cameo appearances in this video.
As above, Shedden’s efforts earned him a temporary pole position, and was unable to make it up to a race win, but not for lack of trying. A mistake while finding a way through back markers saw him back the GT40 into the tyres at Woodcote. It was a gentle nudge, but the time taken to get back on track meant a podium was the best he and his teammate could hope for.
