Colin Turkington and Stephen Jelley will once again team-up with Team BMW in the British Touring Car Championship, marking the fourth season the duo have acted as team-mates.
The pairing will race under the Team BMW banner, whilst a third BMW 330e M Sport will be raced by Jake Hill under the ‘MB Motorsport powered by ROKiT’ banner, following Tom Oliphant’s decision not to race in 2022.
For Turkington, it marks an incredible 15th season with West Surrey Racing, and his sixth in a row after re-joining the team in 2017.
Jelley is entering into his fourth season overall with the team, his second since re-joining WSR last year and his eighth overall in the BTCC.
All three drivers will take on a new era in the BTCC this year, as the team adapts to using a series-mandated Cosworth hybrid-electric powerplant in the coming campaign.
The system, featuring a 58-volt battery and an electric motor, will give drivers an additional 40 horsepower for 15 seconds each lap it is used.
Turkington sees 2022 as ‘like a new start’ in the BTCC due to the introduction of the hybrid system.
“I’m very happy to be back with Team BMW for the new season,” said four-time champion Turkington.
“I’m extremely proud to represent BMW – the greatest manufacturer in touring car history across the world – and to do it with WSR, a team that I made my BTCC debut with 20 years ago and have won all my titles with.
“Of course, winning the championship is the aim, as it always is, but the move to Hybrid technology is going to add an extra challenge.
“Because of the change in technology and weight, it’s going to be like starting with an all-new car for everyone on the grid, so being able to keep calm, maximise every points opportunity, stay reliable and race well will be more important than ever before.
“It has the potential to create overtaking opportunities that previously didn’t exist and gives us all the chance to race more sustainably – which is something that’s very important to me.”
Jelley is hoping that the experience of his closest team, including engineer Andy Miller, will help him to take full advantage of the new hybrid changes.
“I didn’t look at moving in any way, shape, or form, this winter,” said Jelley. “We had a good year in 2021 and while it would have been nice to pick up a win, the overall performance was strong.
“I’m looking forward to working with WSR, BMW and Colin again, and also with Jake – who’s a good chap and a hard racer – coming in, I think we’ll all be very fast and competitive.
“My engineer Andy has experience from Formula E that should help us hit the ground running with the Hybrid system too.
“In a season where there’ll be so many unknowns, having that experience, allied to WSR’s preparation and BMW’s reliability, is going to be very important.”
WSR Team Principal Dick Bennetts explained that the team has had to make some changes to their three BMWs to incorporate the new hybrid-electric system.
“I’m very pleased to confirm Colin and Stephen as our Team BMW drivers for 2022 and, along with Jake in the MB Motorsport Powered by ROKiT 330e M Sport, I think we have a very strong line-up,” said Bennetts.
“Colin and Stephen worked together brilliantly when they first drove our BMWs in 2008-09 and when Stephen returned last year they just slotted back into their roles.
“Naturally our targets are to win the Drivers’, Teams’ and Manufacturers’ titles and to add to the incredible list of successes that BMW has had in touring car racing.
“The move to Hybrid technology is good for the BTCC as we all seek to live, work and race more sustainably in a changing world, and being able to use the BMW 330e M Sport road car as the platform means we’ll be showcasing a car that has won countless awards globally over the past couple of years for its all-round performance.
“Incorporating the Hybrid system has meant we’ve had to make several design adjustments to the 3 Series, and that 2022 will be a learning year for us, but the intent from the BTCC is certainly positive.”