Colin Turkington: “The pressure is on to maintain Croft form”

Colin Turkington says the ‘pressure will be on’ to maintain BMW’s run of success when the BTCC heads for Croft this weekend for the fourth meeting of the season.

The 125i M Sport run by West Surrey Racing in recent years had an impressive record at the North Yorkshire venue with nine wins, whilst Turkington himself has a dozen wins at Croft dating back to 2005 – double the tally of any of his rivals.

The defending champion heads into the weekend in a share of the championship lead following a strong start to life with the 330i M Sport and said he was keen to try and maintain his impressive Croft record with the new car.

“There is just something about Croft and its unique challenges that really excite me,” he said. “It’s easily my favourite circuit on the calendar and historically the BMW has achieved great success there, so the pressure is on to keep that story going with the new 3 Series.

“The circuit has been completely resurfaced and I’m keen to get out in practice on Saturday morning and understand the grip level. I’ll be qualifying with some weight in the car so will need to ensure I maximise everything from myself and the BMW – accurate engineering and bravery will be the difference between a good qualifying and a great one.”

“It feels like Thruxton was ages ago but that time was important to understand the development of the BMW, analyse my performance and identify areas that we can improve. To be honest I was glad of the breathing space to take stock, which in turn has given me the confidence to take the next step knowing we are going the right way.

“The season so far has highlighted the excellence of the team within West Surrey Racing and it’s up to us drivers to continue to deliver the results both they and BMW deserve. I’m prepared to raise my game and keep on pushing.”