It is 13 years since a Scot's name was on the British Touring Car Championship but, in Gordon Shedden from Fife, the nation may have its likeliest candidate since Wishaw's John Cleland.

The 50th BTCC starts at Brands Hatch tomorrow and the Dalgety Bay driver goes into the new campaign having been thrust into the limelight.

Two years ago, Team Halfords, plucked Shedden from his sporadic schedule of one-off victories and set him alongside Matt Neal.

The chemistry was instant; Shedden acting as the perfect foil as Neal became the first driver in the history of the BTCC to win two consecutive titles. While he excelled as a right-hand man, Shedden himself managed four wins in his debut campaign, the best rookie performance since the 1950s.

Last term, new FIA regulations meant that Halfords had to abandon the all-conquering Honda Integra and re-make a Honda Civic from scratch.

When Shedden entered race one, he had never set foot in the car for tests. Perhaps it was his third place finish in the championship that convinced Steve Neal, the team owner, to make the Scot his linchpin for this season after his son Matt opted to join 2007 champions, Vauxhall.

Tomorrow, Shedden will step out of the shadow of Neal in a car which developed into a winner as 2007 wore on. He knows there may be no better opportunity to push Jason Plato and Fabrizio Giovanardi for the championship and get a Scottish name back on the trophy.

"We are a big name and we need to be challenging for championships," insists Shedden, who combines his BTCC duties with a business development role at Knockhill Racing circuit in Fife.

"Halfords took a big risk by taking me on as a rookie when they were champions but I now feel part of the family in many ways. The team had been Matt all the way but they welcomed me in and Matt taught me a lot in terms of the type of driver they wanted.

"I think we are one of the best teams in the paddock and, for two years, I have learned from one of the best in the business. I knew Matt was leaving in July last year but it is nice Steve has a lot of faith in me. Motorsport is in his veins. Make no mistake, I am in it to win it."

The fact Shedden is racing at all tomorrow is as much a surprise to him as his prowess has surprised the critics.

In 2000, he won the Ford Fiesta title and was tipped to graduate to Touring Cars. The following year was miserable with only eight cars on the grid and Shedden felt his change had gone. "There is never a day when I take this for granted. I thought I would never get this opportunity. Now, every time I sit in the car it really counts."

The patient Shedden may just be smiling on the top step at the close of 2008.