Colin Turkington aims to progress through pack

Championship leader Colin Turkington says his aim for race day at Knockhill is to progress through the pack and score points, after losing his dominant pole position to a grid penalty from Snetterton.

West Surrey Racing’s Turkington was untouchable in qualifying, setting three laps good enough for pole, and ending up more than 0.4 seconds clear of Sam Tordoff.

His eight place penalty means he will start on the inside of row five, just behind his team-mate Nick Foster and just ahead of United Autosports’ Glynn Geddie.

Regardless of the demotion, the 2009 champion said he was delighted with his performance.

Speaking to TouringCarTimes, Turkington said: “It was a really good lap – it’s not every weekend you can do three purple sectors. The car has been really strong today in all conditions, and I was just on the track at the right time. I really pushed the car to its limits to get the laptime.

“Knockhill is a bit different being a short track. You get a couple of shots at it, and there’s a lot in driver confidence – you can do a fast lap and if your confidence is up, you can nick a little bit more next time.”

Thoughts now turn to race day, and how to make the best of his starting position.

Turkington said: “My aim is just to make progress through the pack. It is going to be important to score points.

“The car is quick enough to win, but that is going to be really tough tomorrow. I’ve just got to keep scoring well, and that would be a good day.

“We’re at that time of the season, and I can’t afford to take my foot off the gas. I’ve got to attack to get through the pack, but it’s more important to score.”