Colin Turkington hoping to defend BTCC title in 2015
All Colin Turkington’s 2009 championship lacked was a title defence the following year – but the West Surrey Racing man says he is determined to put that right in 2015.
The Northern Irishman became a double BTCC champion at Brands Hatch today, with a third place in the opening race proving to be enough to give him an unassailable lead.
He has since had time to reflect on his success, and is planning to return next year.
“Yeah, that’s definitely the plan – to come back with number one on the car,” said Turkington to TouringCarTimes.
“I’ve put everything into it this year. I’ve always worked hard, but this year I’ve looked at every area where I can try and find an advantage. I’ve given it absolutely everything.
“I think with any touring car driver, you probably improve with experience. I think it’s the best I’ve ever driven. You have to attack every session and give it some. There’s no respite, and you’ve got to be mentally prepared to do that.”
Turkington wasn’t sure that he’d won the title until he arrived in the pits at the end of race one, before the realisation of his success set in.
He said: “I didn’t know – the commentary team had told me on the radio, but I didn’t hear it until I got back into Parc Ferme that I’d got the job done.
“Relief is the first thing that sets in – you graft from the beginning for this, and every day and every week you’re working towards this.
“The last week leading up to Brands is always the toughest – you’re trying to keep your head straight and approach it in the right way.”
This year has been a special one for the Turkington family, with Colin tying the knot with fiancee Louise in July. He says this has made his success in 2014 even more sweet.
He said: “The first one was really special. You would give anything to get your name on this trophy. But to do it now is just as good, with my family behind me – it’s extra special. We’ve conquered a lot as a family.”
Turkington also had plenty of praise for his team and his boss, the evergreen New Zealander Dick Bennetts.
He said: “They’ve been incredible. The car never misses a beat. To hit the podium every race weekend just shows you the attention to detail. That comes from Dick Bennetts – the work never stops.
“You can bet he’ll be in the office tomorrow, thinking of something!”
Below are the final standings for the 2014 season, with Turkington eventually taking the crown from Triple Eight’s Jason Plato by 35 points.
