Reigning champion Colin Turkington has hailed the “electric pace” of his BMW 330i M Sport as he sits atop the standings of the 2020 British Touring Car Championship following the Donington Park season opener.
After securing pole position yesterday, Turkington lost out to rival Dan Cammish in race one after contact with a charging Ash Sutton.
In the second encounter, Turkington used the traction advantage of his rear-wheel drive BMW to out-drag Cammish into turn one.
Despite pressure from Rory Butcher’s new-for-2020 Ford Focus ST, he would never relinquish the lead, telling ITV that a return to the top step was just reward for his team.
“It feels great to stand on the top step,” he said. “After all our preparation, to get a win feels fantastic and a great result for the team; a 1-3 for Team BMW.
“My race was made off the line, I knew the job had to be done before turn one. Once I was in front my car had electric pace, it felt even stronger with a little weight in it, which settled things down.
I’m really happy to get my first win of the season and a big clap on the back for my team.”
Now occupying the top spot in the championship six points clear of Cammish and nine points to the good of race three winner Sutton, Turkington believes setup work with ballast aboard the car was key to his consistency throughout the day.
“It’s great to start the season with a win, another podium and a strong haul of points overall.
“The BMW was sweet in Race Two so I could drive it hard but not work the tyres too hard in the early stages. We’ve done a lot of work on dialling the car in with weight on-board and that was one of the keys to winning that one.
“I’m really pleased with my performance and the points. The preparation, hard work and dedication of the whole team has been incredible this past few months, so this is a great way to start for all of us.”