4TH FOR THE 4-TIME CHAMP - Colin Turkington | 4 Time BTCC champion and Team BMW driver Colin Turkington. Currently driving for Team BMW in the 2020 British Touring Car Championship

COLIN TURKINGTON PRODUCES STUNNING PERFORMANCES TO ROUND OFF THE YEAR

Colin Turkington signed off his 2022 BTCC campaign in 4th place yesterday (9th October) after a spectacular season finale crowned Tom Ingram the new Champion.
Turkington, a 4-time champion himself, produced two stunning races but ultimately was unable to challenge for the top spot following his costly points deficit from Silverstone.
Repeated hybrid issues left the Team BMW driver frustrated at Silverstone and again in Saturday’s qualifying.
Four drivers, including Turkington, went into the final event in contention delivering some gutsy and heart-in-mouth racing.
Brands Hatch was packed to the rafters as people travelled from far and wide to witness another sensational display of world class motorsport.

Crowds flocked to Brands Hatch on race day

HEAR FROM COLIN

Firstly, I would like to congratulate Tom Ingram on clinching his first British Touring Car Championship. This is the hardest series in the world to win, I know just what it takes to get it over the line and Tom is a worthy champion.

In parc fierme after the second race, I knew exactly how he (Tom) was feeling and seeing someone take that pressure and deliver – I was really pleased for him.

Race day proved to be a good day in what’s been quite a difficult run-in to the end of the season for me. Silverstone did the damage, and it took too long to iron out the hybrid issues for me to have a realistic chance this weekend. The BMW was strong today and in race 2, that was the best car I’ve had all year. After our frustrating qualifying session I had no idea what to expect from the races, but I really enjoyed them and could race well. That’s a positive way to end.

Race 3 was a difficult one, having been through so much heartache myself in season finales, I never wanted to play a role in how the title would be decided. Being out of contention, I just needed to stay out of the title fight. Ash was ahead of me, and both Jake and Tom went by – I felt the right thing to do was to let them race it out.

Overall, I feel we took a step forward with the BMW from what we learned this weekend and it was great to get a final podium of the year.

The competition has been tough, but overall, I think it’s been a fantastic year of racing with a clear shift towards racing with respect. Yesterday’s races proved you don’t have to crash people off the track to be in contention for a title.

I’m still proud of where we finished, as I know, together with WSR, we never let ourselves down and pushed hard to the end. Team BMW were once again, a force to be reckoned with, and clinching their 7th consecutive Manufacturers title is a truly impressive achievement.