THERE will be a renewal of a battle between a couple of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship’s most successful campaigners at Croft this weekend.

Gordon Shedden and Rob Collard fought tooth-and-nail for victory in the final race at Croft last year, with their scintillating scrap for supremacy coming to a head on lap 12 as the Honda and BMW approached the chicane, when slight contact between the pair sent the Scot bouncing across the grass.

Twelve months on and Collard and Shedden will return to Croft with special anniversaries in sight – the former’s 400th BTCC start and the latter’s 300th. Both are title contenders in 2016, sitting third and fourth in the standings respectively – separated by a single point – and both will clearly be keen to add to their winning tallies of 42 career victories for the Honda man and 12 for his BMW adversary.

“Rob and I had a pretty lively battle last year,” said defending champion Shedden. “In one of the races, he got so near that it felt like he actually wanted to drive my car, and the last one was a cracker. We gambled on the soft tyres in the knowledge they would be quicker but eventually drop off, and after that it was a case of grimly trying to hold on!

“There was some great racing at Croft last season, and I’m sure we can expect more of the same again. The crowds get pretty close to the action and there’s always a good party atmosphere to the weekend. I’m looking forward to it.”

Collard will be part of a wider BMW celebration in North Yorkshire, with team title sponsor JCT600 marking its 70th anniversary with a platinum livery on team-mate Sam Tordoff’s 125i M Sport and the German marque rapidly homing in on 100 race wins – a landmark it could well reach around a circuit at which it has traditionally excelled.

“It’s fantastic to be making my 400th BTCC start at Croft,” Collard said. “It’s been a very successful circuit for me in the past, especially in the BMW, so I can’t wait. It’s a track with lots of grip where we can work the tyres really hard, and we don’t suffer from as much degradation as some of the front wheel-drive cars. I think that’s our biggest advantage there over the course of a race distance.

“Croft is a unique circuit, with a bit of everything from the tight hairpin to fast corners and the Jim Clark Esses, which is absolutely spectacular to race through – there were some great wheel-to-wheel overtaking manoeuvres between myself and Gordon there last year. With the championship in such strong shape at the moment and the quality of the drivers and cars on the grid, it’s going to be a very exciting weekend. Let’s go racing.”

Yorkshireman Tordoff leads the way in the BTCC standings. There has been nine different winners from the opening 12 races of the 2016 campaign, the action is currently hotter than ever, with fast and furious scraps between some of the finest tin-top protagonists on the planet.

With no fewer than five former champions in the 32-strong field, including Honda duo Matt Neal and Shedden, Ford ace Andrew Jordan and Subaru pairing Colin Turkington and Jason Plato, the latter having grown up in nearby Newcastle, the calibre of competition is fiendishly high, but right now, one man is outpacing them all, Yorkshire’s Tordoff.

The Team JCT600 with GardX driver enjoyed a stellar weekend last time out, with a victory and two further podium finishes vaulting him to the top of the title chase for the first time in his BTCC career. What’s more, with his BMW 125i M Sport boasting a formidable recent record at Croft, the 27-year-old Leeds-based star is heading to his home circuit riding the crest of a wave.

Croft’s open paddock policy and busy Pit-Lane Walkabout on Sunday morning will allow fans to get up close to the action and snatch a selfie or two with the stars of the show, whilst a plethora of support series from the Renault UK Clio Cup and Porsche Carrera Cup GB to the F4 British Championship, Ginetta Junior Championship and Ginetta GT5 Challenge, will ensure non-stop thrills and spills all weekend long.

Tickets are available on the gate priced at just £14 for tomorrow and £28 for Sunday with weekend passes costing only £36. Accompanied children aged 15 and under are admitted free of charge which is even more reason to make it a family date for Father’s Day.

Race day grandstand seats are an additional £8 and selling fast. For further information, visit www.croftcircuit.co.uk or call 01325 721815.