Colin Turkington expecting fitness in ‘intense temperatures’ to be crucial at Snetterton

Colin Turkington is expecting this weekend’s British Touring Car Championship races at Snetterton to see some ‘intense temperatures’ inside the cars, as he prepares to defend his championship lead.

Last time out at Knockhill, Turkington took over as the points leader, having twice finished on the podium in races one and two before concluding the weekend with a fourth-place finish.

The Team BMW driver has won eight times previously at Snetterton, making it one of his strongest circuits, and he has won at least one race in every year he has gone to the Norfolk venue in the BMW 3 Series.

“Time tends to fly by at this point of the season and it’s important to take each session and each race one step at a time,” said Turkington.

“It will be more important than ever to have the car exactly how I want it for qualifying, as I won’t have any hybrid power available to deploy.

“This is the penalty for our Knockhill success, so we must keep focussed on delivering our best regardless.”

The Northern Irishman is expecting conditions to be challenging at Snetterton this weekend, with air temperatures of 34 degrees forecast outside the car for both Saturday and Sunday as a heatwave affects the UK.

“Historically, we’ve had great pace and results around Snetterton, I’ll obviously be doing all I can to continue that trend,” said Turkington, who has so far only won one race in 2022. “Knockhill was a superb weekend for me, but I hope there’s still more to come.

“The heat in the car is set to be a challenge again this weekend, and most likely more so than in Scotland.

“We’ll be working hard in those intense temperatures six times over the two days, so our physical fitness and personal care will play a factor in performance.

“We tested at Snetterton in similar conditions in July, so this has helped with our preparations. I honestly do enjoy the summer rounds more and equally the shift in focus as the intensity builds.

“We’re fired up to keep the pressure on but my approach will remain the same.”