Photo: PSP Images

Double success sees Colin Turkington extend his advantage

Colin Turkington has extended his advantage at the head of the BTCC standings on the back of another strong weekend on track at Snetterton.

The WSR driver went into the meeting sitting top of the standings and was able to secure pole in impressive fashion on Saturday despite having no additional hybrid power to make use of.

Holding off team-mate Jake Hill in the opening two races, Turkington secured a double win at Snetterton for the second time in the last three seasons before a solid sixth place in the finale – which marked his 500th race in the series.

It leaves the Northern Irishman now sitting 15 points clear of Tom Ingram, who ended the weekend with three podium finishes in his EXCELR8 Hyundai.

“To reach 500 races is a big milestone and any time you get the chance to win is a special moment,” Turkington said. “I’d only had one reverse grid win this season and it’s much nicer to win from pole.

“Race three was probably the hardest race but the points there are just as important as the wins, and this is the third year in a row where I’ve come here and scored a big haul of points.

“Points in the bag when the car is performing well are important but there are still nine races to go and a lot of racing to do. It only gets harder but this weekend we unlocked something for me that has been missing so far, and that was evident in the pace I had.

“I’ve been working against the car a bit until now, and hopefully we’re in a good place looking to Thruxton next time out.”