Colin Turkington says that securing a strong qualifying result for this weekend’s British Touring Car Championship races at Knockhill will be key, as the Team BMW driver seeks to maintain his championship lead.
Turkington heads to Scotland with a four-point advantage over Speedworks Motorsport’s Tom Ingram, having moved back to the top of the standings after a trio of top ten finishes, including a podium, in the last round at Rockingham.
The Northern Irishman also has a strong record at Knockhill, where last year he finished on the podium in each of the three races in his BMW 125i M Sport.
With Turkington also knowing the circuit inside out, having worked there when he previously lived in nearby Stirling, he admits he is looking forward to taking on the undulating circuit once again.
“Having been an instructor at Knockhill when I was studying in Stirling, I’ve a great affinity with the place,” said Turkington. “It is easily one of the weekends I look forward to the most for its positive vibes and energy.
“With its high kerbs and rolling undulations, the circuit is a real challenge for the driver. You need to be razor sharp straight out of the blocks!
“Rockingham’s strong results were testament to the strength of our engineering department and the shared ambition within the team to keep turning up the heat on our rivals.
“The car was well balanced and competitive in the races despite being up against the lighter and faster cars in qualifying.”
Turkington knows that hitting the ground running on Saturday will be vitally important around the short 2.04-kilometre circuit.
“To be good at Knockhill you need to have the fire in your belly, and the focus and determination to convert it. I’m keen to get going and will be doing all I can to bring the magic.
“The circuit is just over a mile long and there will be 31 cars jostling for position in qualifying. Securing a strong grid spot for Sunday will be key.
“The 1 Series has been very successful there in the past and Team BMW will be using all that experience in their preparation.”