THRUXTON PREVIEW
THRUXTON PREVIEW
“TIME TO SHINE” FOR TURKINGTON AND TEAM BMW AS THEY SEEK SUCCESS AT THRUXTON
Colin Turkington delivered BMW’s 100th BTCC win at Thruxton in 2017, and sights are firmly set on adding to that success story this weekend.
Last time out at Donington Park saw Turkington uncharacteristically spend more time in the pits than out on track, but it’s been a positive period of intense and productive work since then. In preparation for the fastest circuit on the BTCC calendar, the team will today run the car at a shakedown event, fine tuning their recent developments.WATCH LIVE ON ITV4
Showing on ITV4 this Sunday from 11:15am, Thruxton will be broadcast LIVE throughout the day.
SATURDAY 19th MAY
Qualifying live online from 3:20pm
SUNDAY 20th MAY
Watch on ITV4 live from 11:15am
HEDGE YOUR BETS?
The start of the 2018 season has been like no other, with new faces taking the spoils and proven Champions facing unusual difficulties. More predictably, the excitement on track has been as gripping as ever with changeable weather and tyre choices presenting further challenges to the 32 car grid of drivers.
BLUE SKIES AHEAD
Donington Park faced conditions resembling that of Winter, but with the action heading south to Hampshire for rounds 6, 7 and 8 at Thruxton this weekend, hopes are high for more stable and warmer skies.
Regardless of the weather, nothing looks set to stand in the way of Colin Turkington and his hunger to get back on the podium and tend to some “unfinished business” from two weeks ago.
Recap on Donington Park here.
COLIN’S THOUGHTS
COLIN TURKINGTON
“It’s often noted that it’s the resilience and mental strength of racing drivers are that sets them apart, but the same can easily be said about my team.
Anyone that was fortunate enough to see the determination and desire of Team BMW to get my car back out on track witnessed an extraordinary feat. We all share the same fire and hunger to win.
When you have a force that powerful combined with engineering expertise, you can be sure everything that can be done, will be done. I’ve been focusing on this positive energy and converting it into a motivating source for Thruxton.
I can feel the potential of the BMW this season… it’s been overshadowed by the drama, but believe me, it’s there and ready to go!
We had a short test day at Thruxton last month and this gave us good direction for the race weekend. It is by far the most abrasive and therefore demanding circuit on the calendar and this provides a great challenge for everyone, including the tyres! We need to use the two practice sessions on Saturday morning to get an understanding for what setup will work over a single qualifying lap, but also what will work over the race distance on Sunday.
No pain, no champagne!”
The fun ended for me after race 1 at Donington and I feel there is a great deal of unfinished business to see to. Thruxton will be our time to shine!
WHY THE HARD TYRE?
Thruxton is known for its abrasive tarmac and unforgiving kerbs that relentlessly puts the tyres and drivers under extreme pressure.
The track doesn’t get a lot of running during the season due to noise restrictions and can be quite low grip on the Saturday morning practice sessions, further adding to the challenge for the engineers as they seek to find the optimum hard tyre balance.
Michael Butler UK Events Manager from Dunlop explains what makes the tyre load so unique,
“The BTCC car is on full throttle for 75% of the lap and never really in a straight line. It is always turning, less than 5% of the circuit is straight. It’s all about tyre management. Being quick for two of three laps doesn’t mean anything around here. You need to be consistent over each of the 16 laps.”
As a result of these added challenges the BTCC use the HARD tyre for the complete weekend; a tyre that has been developed specifically to cope with the demands of the Hampshire based circuit.
THRUXTON
BTCC RACE WEEKEND SCHEDULE
SATURDAY
FP1: 9:50am
FP2: 12:30pm
Qualifying: 3:25pm
SUNDAY
Race 1: 12:15pm
Race 2: 2:30pm
Race 3: 5:15pm
WATCH LIVE ON ITV4 – 11:15am
BEHIND THE SCENES
Make sure to double up on social media with plenty of behind the scenes info and pictures throughout the weekend on Colin’s instagram, facebook and twitter accounts.
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