Colin Turkington was untouchable at Brands Hatch as the Team BMW driver stormed to a dominant double victory in the British Touring Car Championship on Sunday.
The Northern Irishman’s successes were the highlights of the weekend for the WSR-run team as BMW’s advantage at the head of the Manufacturers’ title race was maintained.
Having qualified his BMW 330e M Sport on pole position for the 28th time in the BTCC, Northern Irishman Colin was unchallenged at the start of the day’s opening race as team-mate Adam Morgan slotted in behind.
Making use of the soft-option Goodyear tyre – which drivers were mandated to use just once on raceday – the four-time series champion led from start to finish and set the fastest lap.
Colin made it a double in Race Two; building a four-second lead on the medium tyre, seeing his advantage wiped out by a mid-race safety car and then re-asserting his position to win for the 69th time in his BTCC career.
Starting 11th on Race Three’s partially-reversed grid, he finished eighth; enough to make him the highest-scoring driver of the weekend and catapult him to second in the standings.
Team-mate Adam’s highlight was a stunning Race Two charge from 15th on the grid to fourth at the flag on soft tyres. The Lancashire racer missed a podium finish by just 0.025 seconds as he crossed the line side-by-side with his main rival.
He had started 15th after mid-race contact in the opener that dropped him to the tail of the field and predicated a mini fightback to the final points position. Tenth in the finale was enough to net Team BMW the Teams’ Trophy as the weekend’s top scorers.
Local hero Jake Hill, of Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport, was the biggest climber in Race One.
The Maidstone racer, who lay third in the championship as the weekend began, started 12th and finished fourth; a result that helped BMW win the Manufacturers’ Trophy for the opener.
He ran as high as second in Race Two but was on the receiving end of several hard hits from rivals and eventually retired with damaged steering. That put him on the back row for Race Three, but he came through to 12th, which keeps him fourth in the points.
The BTCC continues with three races at Snetterton, Norfolk, on May 25-26.
Colin Turkington, Team BMW
Adam Morgan, Team BMW
Jake Hill, Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport
Dick Bennetts, Team Principal