GORDON SHEDDEN has admitted that a number of unfinished races throughout the season prevented him retaining his British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) title.

Despite an excellent final weekend at Brands Hatch where he won the final race and took one second place, 'Flash' missed out on the championship by just seven points to Andrew Jordan, despite going into the event trailing the leader by 35 points.

Knowing that he neeeded a heroic final weekend to overhaul the Pirtek Racing driver, Shedden gave his chances a boost by scoring 17 points in the opening race after a second-place finish, with Jordan finishing fifth.

In race two, a collision between Jordan and Shedden's team-mate and fellow challenger, Matt Neal, allowed the Dalgety Bay driver the opportunity to make up more ground but after suffering a spin, he could only finish seventh to keep his slim hopes alive.

Despite claiming maximum points during the final race, an eighth-place finish for Jordan proved enough to wrestle the crown from Shedden, who lamented five DNF's (did not finishes) during the season.

This included the final race during the Knockhill round where his engine caught fire while was in fifth place and on track for 11 points.

He told Press Sport, "Five DNF's was just too much, particularly when you consider that we didn't finish that far behind in the end, but it is what it is.

"We've had our ups and downs this year but it's nice to sign off with a win. Fair play to Andy, he's done a great job and as a team they've done a top job.

"We've got to raise our game and try and go one better next year. To get within seven points of Jordan was a great effort and it's the non-finishes that killed it for us but it's fantastic for Andy and Pirtek Racing. They've worked hard for it." Despite the disappointment of missing out on the 2013 title, there was some form of consolation for Shedden as his Honda Yuasa Racing team took the teams' and manufacturers' championships for the fourth consecutive season after Neal finished fourth in the overall standings.

He added, "It's great to win the teams' and manufacturers' championships. It's a testament to all the guys and a fantastic car."