Double British Touring Car Champion Colin Turkington believes continuity in the form of his partnership with both West Surrey Racing and BMW are ‘two of the key ingredients’ needed in pursuit of a third title in 2018.
The 2009 and 2014 series winner narrowly missed out on adding a third crown at Brands Hatch last October after a dramatic title fight against BMR Racing’s Ashley Sutton, but also cites the support he received in the immediate aftermath helped motivate him to new heights in terms of personal preparation for the season ahead.
The Northern Irishman is also optimistic about his chances for success at this weekend’s season-opening triple header around the 1.2 mile Indy circuit at Brands Hatch, with the BMW 125i M Sport winning the reverse grid finale at this event in 2017 courtesy of Turkington’s team-mate, Andrew Jordan.
“This will be my 14th year in the BTCC and although I’ve been in the Championship for nearly a quarter of its Diamond status, I feel fitter and fresher than ever,” commented Turkington.
“One thing I’ve learned from having a career in sport is that every year you must be prepared to work harder than ever and seek improvements in every aspect of your life.
“Every season adds another layer of experience and knowledge and every season presents another opportunity to arrive better prepared than ever.
“Success in the BTCC requires a melting pot of many things and I believe the consistency with Team BMW and West Surrey Racing are two of the key ingredients. I count myself extremely lucky to be surrounded by the best in the business and with a manufacture of such status.
“We had a competitive car here last year and even though I suffered some terrible luck in race 1, we turned it around for a podium in race 3. Based on our recent test results I’m confident we wont be too far away this time around and I’ll be aiming for three consistent top 10 finishes.
“There’s a long season ahead and I’m sure we’ll all face our fair share of challenges throughout the year, but the aim is to arrive at the season finale’ with a shot at the title.
I enjoyed the 2017 season so much more than any year before and I hope in 2018 we can do more of the same.”