Four-time champion Colin Turkington says he and his Team BMW outfit can hold their heads high following the season finale of the 2020 British Touring Car Championship at the Brands Hatch Indy circuit.
The Northern Irishman struggled in wet conditions throughout the day at the Kent track, despite his BMW 330i M Sport coming alive in dry conditions during the second encounter, and would ultimately finish 14 points behind 2020 champion Ash Sutton in the points standings.
Turkington admitted that Sutton is a “very deserving winner” of the 2020 Drivers’ title, and believes he and his West Surrey Racing-run squad “couldn’t have tried any harder” in their efforts to secure him a record fifth title.
“In the end Ash deserved it, he’s a very deserving winner this year. We had equal pace through most of the season but in the conditions we have today – especially the wet – he just had an edge over our performance,” said Turkington.
“I gave it my best shot, I gave it everything from the beginning to the end of the campaign. We couldn’t have tried any harder as a team, so I’m proud of our efforts and it’s nothing to be ashamed of being P2 in this championship.
“It is the hardest one to win, you need so many things to go your way. We can hold our heads high tonight and think about the great weekends we’ve had, the many wins and podiums. Tomorrow is a new day.”
Reflecting on the season, Turkington noted that BMW wrapping up the Teams and Manufacturers titles is an “excellent” achievement, and rewards the outfit for their efforts amid difficult circumstances across the 2020 season.
“It’s been a success that we’ve got through the season. We’ve done nine events through the season and we’re standing here in November able to race when many other championships haven’t been able to do that,” he said.
“I’m just thankful that we got this far and of course I was as hungry and as motivated as ever to try and win, but it’s a tough, tough championship to win every year. It’s very difficult but for BMW to win the Teams and Manufacturers championships is excellent, it’s great reward for all the effort back at base.
“So we take a few days off, reload and quickly start to think about next year again. I’m leaving here very happy.”
With Turkington’s desire to win as strong as ever, he is still hungry to snatch what would be a record fifth Drivers’ title in the coming seasons.
“It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve won this championship before, it still grabs you, it still means so much for a driver to win. Even though I’ve claimed it four times I wanted the fifth as bad as any other,” he said.
“Fingers crossed we’ll be back and we’ll be fighting just as much next year.”