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Turkington bags four trophies at Brands Hatch WTCC

Turkington bags four trophies at Brands Hatch WTCC

TURKINGTON AND WSR CELEBRATE DOUBLE WTCC PODIUM SUCCESS

eBay Motors-backed WSR and Colin Turkington celebrated a superb FIA World Touring Car Championship meeting yesterday (Sunday) when they claimed four FIA trophies after scoring two Independent victories and a second and third place finish overall in their BMW 320si at Brands Hatch, Kent.

It was in race two that Turkington made a stunning impression on the World Touring Car regulars, starting from sixth on the grid, he executed a flawless start in his BMW 320si making up two places before turn one on the opening lap. Tucking in behind Menu in third, Turkington soon took advantage of the Farfus and Priaulx’s mix up on lap three when Menu tapped Farfus and opened up a gap on the inside at Druids Bend; Turkington seized the opportunity and eased his way through up into second place. He then went on to extend his lead over third place Tarquini until the deployment of the safety car on lap 12. The race recommenced at the end of lap 13 for a further three laps as Turkington brought his BMW home in second place, under half a second behind fellow Brit and “works” BMW driver Andy Priaulx.

Earlier on in the day the Portadown racer started from fourth on the grid behind the Chevrolet trio for race one. Current BTCC Champion Turkington made a smooth getaway from the rolling start and initially maintained his fourth place but was quickly deposed to fifth by current WTCC Champion Gabriele Tarquini. Turkington was not to be outdone by the Italian and made his presence keenly felt. The two Champions battled it out around the Grand Prix circuit for fourth place but ultimately the pressure from the BTCC champion proved too much and Turkington reclaimed fourth, passing Tarquini on the approach to Druids Bend on lap four.

Turkington now set his sights on a podium finish and made his intention known as he started his campaign for third place behind Alain Menu. However, he would have his work cut out as Menu operated a closed-door policy with a strong display of defensive manoeuvres. Despite this, Turkington looked poised to pass the Swiss racer on several occasions as he looked for an opening but on lap nine his plans were postponed for three laps when the Safety Car was deployed. Once the action resumed Turkington had four laps remaining to make his move and the WSR racer didn’t disappoint. He was soon to prove the fly in the Chevrolet ointment as he hunted down Menu and his hard work finally paid off as he went ahead and claimed his third place finish from eventual winner Yvan Muller and second placed Brit Rob Huff.

As a result of his fantastic day’s racing Turkington now lies in second place in the Yokohama Independents’ Trophy with 72 points from Sergio Hernandez of Spain on 84.

After picking up four trophies a jubilant Turkington commented, “I’m really pleased, it was a really big weekend for me and the team. Although we were a little bit lighter than some of the other cars we still had to perform and get up the front. We ran quicker and quicker all weekend and pulled in the results. It was fantastic for all of us and we are all over the moon, here’s to the next race in the Czech Republic.”

Team Principal Dick Bennetts commented, “What a great day! We were more than happy with just the one podium after the first race, but to then go one better and to score two Independent wins and a second and third overall is great for all the eBay Motors WSR team plus we have also scored some valuable points towards the Manufacturers’ Championship for BMW.”

Race One Results

1 Yvan Muller, Chevrolet 28:05.204

2 Robert Huff, Chevrolet +0.296
3 Colin Turkington, BMW 320si +0.848

4 Gabriele Tarquini, SEAT +2.615

5 Tom Coronel, SEAT +3.158

6 Augusto Farfus, BMW 320si +4.357

7 Alain Menu, Chevrolet + 5.041

8 Andy Priaulx, BMW 320si +5.170

9 Tiago Monteiro, SEAT +5.295

10 Norbert Michelisz, SEAT +5.505

Race Two Results

1Andy Priaulx, BMW 320si 27:05.324
2 Colin Turkington, BMW 320si +0.399

3 Gabriele Tarquini, SEAT +1.394

4 Tom Coronel, SEAT +1.854

5 Yvan Muller ,Chevrolet +3.037

6 Robert Huff, Chevrolet +3.418

7 Norbert Michelisz, SEAT +4.901

8 Augusto Farfus, BMW 320si +5.529

9 Michel Nykjaer, SEAT +6.035

10 Jordi Gene, SEAT +6.481

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