BTCC IS BACK - Colin Turkington | 4 Time BTCC champion and Team BMW driver Colin Turkington. Currently driving for Team BMW in the 2020 British Touring Car Championship

TURKINGTON BACK TO BUSINESS AS BTCC RETURNS

The BTCC champion returns to the driving seat of his Team BMW 3 Series this weekend, as the UK Championship commences it’s 2020 season.

Kicking off at Donington Park, the condensed 9 event calendar will run through to mid-November.
ITV4 will be broadcasting the races from the Derbyshire circuit LIVE on Sunday from 10.35am.
Turkington confident following some recent testing and enthusiastic about the return of motorsport.
Change in team personnel sees engineer John Waterman partner the four-time champion for the new season.

CATCH UP Q&A WITH COLIN TURKINGTON

HOW DOES THE RETURN OF COMPETITIVE MOTORSPORT FEEL?

It feels so good to finally go racing again! You can test and prepare all day long, but the buzz of competition and the excitement the BTCC brings is hard to find anywhere else! The return of the series is going to entertain a lot of people over the next few months. It’s going to be as competitive as ever and the racing should be worth the wait.

HOW DID THE RECENT TESTING PLAY OUT?

The testing programme we completed the past few weeks has been fantastic for bringing the team back together and provided some valuable seat time. We had perfect conditions for our recent day at Silverstone and I left there feeling confident in the car and ready for competition. I’ve also spent a considerable amount of time out at track days and karting, so I’m feeling sharp and good to go!

THERE’S A CHANGE WITHIN THE TEAM, TELL US ABOUT YOUR NEW ENGINEER.

John Waterman is one of the most experienced engineers in the business and we’ve slotted into the groove seamlessly. He’s been with the team since 2015, most recently with Andrew Jordan. We actually worked together in China over the winter on a different programme and he lives locally to me, so I can easily pop over.

WILL THE BTCC LOOK ANY DIFFERENT IN THIS NEW CONDENSED SEASON?

Things will be different with safety precautions in place of course, and this will be closely monitored and adjusted, as necessary. We don’t have our usual hospitality units or catering team yet and the number of people in the team has also been reduced. As far as I’m aware there will be no mixing of the paddock with spectators, but all of this will come as no surprise. It’s great that fans can still attend the circuit though, soak up the live atmosphere of the races and provide a vibe around the track. I’m also confident the TV coverage will bring viewers as close to the action as they can.

HOW DOES YOUR DIARY LOOK FOR THE REST OF THE SUMMER?

The next five weeks are going to be a very busy spell, with four events in five weekends but this is motorsport and we’re used to being adaptable. I’ve had plenty of time to prepare and make changes to the way we plan to go about our business. Recovery will be key for me and the top priority is ensuring I remain healthy and well. A summer of sport awaits!

BTCC 2020

Donington Park – August 1/2

Brands Hatch (GP) – August 8/9

Oulton Park – August 22/23

Knockhill – August 29/30

Thruxton – September 19/20

Silverstone (National) – September 26/27

Croft – October 10/11

Snetterton – October 24/25

Brands Hatch (Indy) – November 14/15

DONINGTON PARK SCHEDULE

SATURDAY

FP1 – 9.30am
FP2 – 12.10pm
Qualifying – 3.20pm

SUNDAY

Race 1 – 11.10am
Race 2 – 1.30pm
Race 3 – 5.25pm

QUALIFYING LIVE ON ITV4.COM

All the action LIVE
Saturday 3.15pm
Click to watch

RACES LIVE ON ITV4

All the action LIVE
Sunday 10.35am
ITV4

POLE LAP – DONINGTON PARK – 2019

Ride on board the Team BMW 3 Series as Colin talks you through his pole lap from 2019. The 4 x champion converted this performance on race day with a dominant double victory.