Colin Turkington delighted with strong first showing for Volkswagen

Colin Turkington racked up a fourth-place finish after slipping down as low as eighth in the first race at Wuhan, scoring the SAIC Volkswagen team critical points in the manufacturers’ championship.

Turkington and his team-mate Rodolfo Avila both lost ground at the start, with the Ford of Rainey He taking the lead, before the third Volkswagen of Zhang Zhen Dong launched forward on lap two to take the lead and go on to take victory.

Turkington worked his way up the order after Avila and the Kia of Jim Ka To crashed out, causing a red flag stoppage, then passing the championship leading Kia of Leo Yi before joining an all-Ford battle for the final spot on the podium in the closing laps.

“I enjoyed it. I lost a few positions off the line, but that was my first attempt to start one of these cars,” said Turkington to TouringCarTimes.

“It’s always difficult when starting on pole and not knowing the best way to get the car off the line. It’s obviously quite a bit different to the rear-wheel drive cars.

“Once the race got going, the pace was good, and I could regain a lot of ground. I was able to pass the Kia which was important for the manufacturer points, and then on the penultimate corner, I got up to third, but then I was in a Ford sandwich and they managed to work out how to get it back again.

“The goal was to score good points for VW, so we’ve ticked that box, and I’ve learned how it works now, so we’ll see how it goes tomorrow.”