GORDON SHEDDEN has dramatically retained his British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) crown after an action-packed final round yesterday.

The Knockhill-based star overcame championship leader Sam Tordoff during the final three races of the season at Brands Hatch to win his third title and become the first driver since Fabrizio Giovanardi in 2008 to win back-to-back titles.

The 37-year-old went into the final weekend seven points off the lead ahead of a thrilling last day that saw an unprecedented eight drivers in championship contention.

In front of a 45,000 crowd, Shedden took a fifth and a third place in the opening two races to narrow the gap on Tordoff to two points going into the final race of the season.

The duo were tussling over third place but, in lap seven, 'Flash' made his move by hauling his Honda Civic Type R down the inside of his rival and held off further attacks to finish third and secure the title.

An elated Shedden said afterwards: "All year, I’ve really stuck my neck on the line and made some bold, heart-in-the-mouth moves that were on the edge more often than not. After Croft back in June, it looked like we were down-and-out, but we stuck to our guns, kept plugging away and gave it absolutely everything to claw our way back. It just goes to show that every single point really does count in this championship.

"Winning the championship for the first time felt phenomenal, last year was a real rollercoaster ride and this year it was just a huge release of emotion."