Gordon Shedden admitted that his guest appearance in the final round of the TCR International Series had been an ‘eye-opener’ for the three-time British Touring Car Championship winner, but says he is unlikely to contest the UK series due to a lack of manufacturer involvement.

Deputising at the WRT-run Leopard Racing to support Jean-Karl Vernay’s title bid as regular team-mate Rob Huff managed his World Touring Car Championship commitments at Macau, the Scot shone.

He claimed pole position despite switching to new brake discs mid-session in qualifying – as well as missing the first part of the pole shootout as he believed himself to have been knocked out – before taking the runner-up spot to Pepe Oriola in the opening contest and fighting forward to seventh in the finale.

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However, despite anticipation rising drastically ahead of the new-for-2018 TCR UK Series’ taster day at Brands Hatch on Wednesday 29th November, Shedden ruled himself out of competing due to his ties with Honda in the BTCC, but nonetheless paid tribute to the category for an enjoyable weekend in the Middle East.

“There’s a lot of positives to the cars, you can’t argue with the closeness of the racing, what’s happening – it is a great concept. It’s not a BTCC car, but it is something which fits a great platform that fits all the manufacturers, and I think that’s the key,” explained Shedden to TouringCars.net at the Dubai Autodrome.

“It’s a front-wheel drive championship, so you don’t get the arguments between front and rear wheel drive. It’s been an eye-opener, in a lot of different ways, seeing what goes on out here. I’ll go back with a smile on my face and I’ve enjoyed the weekend!”

Although stating UK competition is largely off the table, Shedden did allude to some interest in furthering his international competition if the opportunity arises in future.

“Obviously my programme in the UK is with Honda in the BTCC, they won’t pay me to go and do TCR UK. That’s not where it is as a national championship, in the fairest way. International is a different game and something I’m absolutely interested in.”