ARROCHAR racer Iain Shonny Paterson made a successful return to the circuit with a double podium finish in the Scottish Motor Racing Club’s first event of the season at Knockhill.

Paterson took a third place in the Scottish Classic Sports and Saloons Championship’s first race of the day at the Fife circuit on Sunday, June 6, before going one better to finish second in race two.

After qualifying in fourth place for race one on the 23-car grid at the wheel of his venerable Triumph TR8, Paterson spun off on the third corner of the opening lap as he struggled to get his tyres up to temperature.

That left him at the back of the field at the end of lap one, but he had recovered to 11th place by the fifth lap, and continued his progress through the field to take third place on lap 10, a position he held until the end of the 12-lap race.

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Paterson said: “The result was the best I could have hoped for after such a bad start.

“Race two saw me hold second place from the start to finish of the race – the five-litre Rover SDI car of John Kinmond just proved to have too much power to overcome in my 3.9 litre TR8.”

Paterson now plans to complete a full season in the championship, with his next race due on Sunday, July 18.

He added: “Big thank you to my support crew of Coll, Tillie, Erin, Mrs P – also known as “LOML” – and Tracy Marshall.”