BTCC OPENER DISHES OUT THE DRAMA

THREE TOP TEN FINISHES FOR TURKINGTON AT THRUXTON THRILLER

• Colin Turkington secured three top ten results at the 2021 BTCC season opener at Thruxton on Sunday 9th May.
• Typical touring cars tales flooded the headlines with penalties, red flags and challenging conditions spicing up the entertainment.
• Despite suffering from unusual back issues, the 4 x champion drove a stormer in qualifying to secure P3 around a difficult and drying circuit.
• Held behind closed doors, the season opener delivered another TV classic for fans at home.
• The Nations favourite motorsport series is firmly back on the menu, and another blockbuster season is sure to crown the 2021 Champion.

DEBRIEF WITH COLIN TURKINGTON

THREE TOP TEN FINISHES COLIN, WERE YOU HAPPY WITH THOSE RESULTS?

When you weigh up the weekend with the number of incidents, penalties, and challenging weather, three top ten scores is a good result. Given the level of competition, increased success ballast and the return of option tyres, it will be very difficult to secure big point hauls like we saw in 2020.

More than that, I’m so happy with the people around me and the passion we all have to achieve success.  This counts for a lot.

WE HEARD ABOUT YOUR BACK ISSUES, BUT THAT P3 PERFORMANCE IN QUALIFYING SUGGESTED EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL! WHAT EXACTLY HAPPENED ON SATURDAY?

I tweaked my back out running in the week previous so I arrived a bit tender on Friday but nothing serious.  After the first few laps of practice though I knew I was in trouble.  Qualifying was a real challenge but with the help of a chiropractor and the BTCC doctor, I was straightened out and ready to go on Sunday.  It’s just another episode in the world of BTCC! 

Everyone will face their own personal challenges throughout the year; it’s how you get through them that matters.

DOES IT FEEL GOOD TO HAVE THE FIRST WEEKEND UNDER YOUR BELT?  WAS THERE ANYTHING THAT SUPRISED YOU ABOUT THE RESULTS OF THE WEEKEND?

It feels great to be back racing!  The season opener always throws out a few curve balls, and I was expecting a fierce challenge this year. You can never predict who is going to be at the sharp end and without the time penalty in race 1, I think we had the pace.

I try to just keep on looking at the bigger picture and where we can improve.

We have a few weeks up our sleeve ahead of Snetterton, one of our stronger tracks last year, so I’m looking forward to hunting out some podiums.

RESULTS

Race 1 – P10 

Race 2 – P7 – 48 kgs success ballast

Race 3 – P6 – 27kgs success ballast

Championship position 7th – 25 points

WATCH IT BACK

• All the build up and race day action
• Click to watch

SEE THE SCENES

• All the team scenes and shots on track.
• Click for gallery

THE BEST RUN SAP

Colin Turkington has retained the support of multinational software company SAP for a fourth year running. Showcasing the SAP Business By Design product, Turkington will once again represent the global brand in British Motorsport.

“I’m delighted to keep a major software player like SAP on board for another season in BTCC.  The exposure of the series is a great draw for them and we also share many core values.  It’s been a pleasure working with the team at SAP the past three years and I look forward to representing once more.” 
Colin Turkington

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