Photo: BTCC media

Turkington and WSR voted best privateers

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The last race of the British Touring Car Championship 2007 at Thruxton has been voted best Touring Car race of the year by the readers of TouringCarTimes. This is the result of the TouringCarTimes Awards, which was held over the course of December. It wasn’t the only success for the BTCC in the Awards: Team WSR was voted best Independent Touring Car team of the year, as it’s driver Colin Turkington was voted best privateer Touring Car driver of the year.

BTCC Series Director & TOCA Administrator Alan Gow was pleased with the results of the TouringCarTimes Awards. “I’m delighted that the final rounds of the 2007 BTCC have been recognised for what they were……a nailbiting climax to a hard fought season of great touring car racing”, he said. “The final meeting provided everything one could hope for, with plenty of drama on and off the track both before and during the races.”

It was a close battle for the Thruxton race with the World Touring Car Championship race at the Swedish track Anderstorp. The BTCC race won with a margin of just 3 percent. Third place went to the last round of the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, scoring just over 18 percent. The STCC race at Mantorp, also the final race of the season, scored 6,4% in the final rounds of the TouringCarTimes Awards.

TouringCarTimes Awards – race of the year 2007:

1. 39,4% – Thruxton (GB) – BTCC (round 10)
2. 36,1% – Anderstorp (S) – WTCC
3. 18,1% – Hockenheim (D) – DTM (round 10)
4. 6,4 % – Mantorp (S) – STCC (round 11)

Team WSR, which won the title Best Privateer Touring Car Team of 2007 in the Awards, was happy with the results as well. Team principal of Team RAC, Dick Bennetts said: “WSR are delighted to have won both the Best Privateer Team and Best Privateer Driver with Colin Turkington, particularly as the BMW 320si was new to us for the 2007 season.”

“We had very little time for preparation before the season started but the team and Colin worked incredibly hard to put the car on pole for the opening round at Brands Hatch. Taking the Independent Team and Driver Trophies in our first season with BMW was a great success and a good basis to build upon for the coming season.”

Colin Turkington was voted a clear winner in the Privateer Touring Car Driver category, as he got over half of the votes. Belgian WTCC-driver Pierre-Yves Corthals finished second, with 38,1% of the votes.

TouringCarTimes Awards – privateer driver of the year 2007:

1. 52,3% – Colin Turkington – BTCC
2. 38,1% – Pierre-Yves Corthals – WTCC
3. 5,8% – Joakim Frid – STCC
4. 3,8 % – Paul di Resta – DTM

The readers of TouringCarTimes were also very determined in voting WSR as best Privateer Touring Car Team of the year. With a big advantage over the rest, WSR received 56,1% of the votes. GR-Asia, which competed in the WTCC, got 26,5% percent of the votes, giving them second place.

TouringCarTimes Awards – privateer team of the year 2007:

1. 56,1% – Team RAC – BTCC
2. 26,5% – GR Asia – WTCC
3. 15,5% – Persson Motorsport – DTM
4. 1,9% – Team Euromaster – STCC