Colin Turkington: “I’m in a good place”

Colin Turkington says that he now feels “in a good place” with WSR’s new BMW 330i M Sport after a double victory at Donington Park.

The defending BTCC champion had headed away from the season opener at Brands Hatch admitting that he didn’t feel completely at one with the all-new car, which replaces the 125i M Sport in which he secured two of his three titles.

On the back of a solid test at Thruxton however, Turkington proved to be the man to beat on track at Donington, securing the first pole for the new car in qualifying before taking lights-to-flag wins in races one and two.

Ninth in race three on the hard tyre completed a strong weekend for the Northern Irishman, who now sits just five points off top spot in the standings with two rounds down.

“To get two wins in a day is fantastic but more importantly, we got three strong results across the day and ninth on the hard tyre means we’ve come away from the weekend with a good haul of points,” he said. “The Thruxton test really allowed me to get the car more to my liking and I’m feeling more confident, which is reflected in the results this weekend – compared to Brands Hatch where I came away frustrated that I didn’t have the car in the right place.

“The 1 Series was still very competitive as we showed last year, but we knew we needed to take a step forwards and the 3 Series is the answer to that. We wanted to start the season with a better package but were limited with time, and only having one day of testing leaves you in a position where you don’t know the car well enough. It made Brands Hatch tough because there were unfamiliar things going on, but the more time I’ve spent at the wheel, the more I understand the new car and what is required to make it work.

“We knew we had a good base to start with, and now we have a car that has been quick in the wet, the dry and with weight onboard, which is hugely promising. We’ve already had a solid test at Thruxton and have gained more experience of the hard tyre at Donington that leaves me confident heading to a circuit that hasn’t always been our strongest in the past.

“With three wins already for the 3 Series, we’ve got a good strike rate and we can head there in a good place.”