Colin Turkington has pointed to the extra significance of the two 40-minute practice sessions at this weekends British Touring Car Championship meeting at Thruxton for finding an optimal qualifying and race setup on the abrasive 2.4 mile circuit.
The Team BMW driver was among those to test at the Hampshire venue last month with his BMW 125i M Sport, setting a quickest time of 1:16.201, roughly half a second off pace-setter Ashley Sutton’s Subaru Levorg GT.
Donington Park three weeks’ ago proved another difficult outing for the two-time champion, with a solitary points finish courtesy of tenth in the opening contest.
“We had a short test day at Thruxton last month and this gave us good direction for the race weekend, said Turkington.
“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.
“I can feel the potential of the BMW this season. It’s been overshadowed by drama, but believe me, it’s there and ready to go!”