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Colin Turkington says this year’s HiQ MSA British Touring Car
Championship is the hardest fought he’s been in since joining the
series in 2002.
Turkington, a pre-season title
favourite in his Team RAC, will arrive at Donington Park this weekend
only seventh in the standings after two topsy-turvy opening meetings
that have netted a race win but also two non-scores.
Last time out at Rockingham he looked on course to add a second win
– leading comfortably despite near-zero visibility in a badly misted up
car – only to then finish seventh following a safety car period.
Therefore,
he knows that at Donington a healthy dose of points will be required to
ensure the leaders don’t fall out of his reach.
“I
need to take good points at all three next fixtures on the calendar –
Donington, Thruxton and Croft,” Turkington told BTCC.net.
“I’m
not too concerned yet. We’re only six races in and there are 24 to go
so there’s plenty of time for things to run around, although I admit
giving away 33 points to Fabrizio (Giovanardi, the championship leader)
is not the best start.”
Turkington is hoping that
2008’s increased competition can work to his advantage at Donington –
his BMW will start the weekend with no success ballast, while
Giovanardi’s championship-leading Vauxhall Vectra VXR will be laden
with the maximum 45kgs.
He added: “It’s the most
competitive year I’ve been involved in since I started in the BTCC in
2002 – there are so many drivers ready to take points off you. When you
get the weight, the standard of competition now makes it very difficult
to stay inside the top ten and I have to hope that Fabrizio and Mat
(Jackson, second in the standings) do struggle a bit in qualifying.”
Most
of all, Turkington knows he needs to keep out of trouble and avoid
repetitions of Brands Hatch and Rockingham – he spent both race days
playing catch-up after dismal first races.
Turkington
said: “The second races have been about getting back up the order to
give myself a shot of a win in race three – and had it not been the
safety car in race three at Rockingham I’d have actually have had two
wins, the same as Fabrizio, which would have made a big difference.
“The
problem I had was that right from the start I only had about 20 per
cent visibility through the front screen and none at all through any
other window – I was getting ready to pit on lap two, but then the team
told me I’d crossed the line nearly a second in front.
“I
didn’t know who was behind me or where they might be. That’s why, after
the safety car, I had the tap with Mat (Jackson). I didn’t know
anything about it until I felt the contact. But when one car did get
past that was it for me… the spray really finished me off.
“There’s
been some turmoil, but we’ve also got a lot of speed – it’s just the
results don’t reflect that. Having the speed is one thing, using it in
a race when there are so many things happening around you is quite
another. All sorts can happen in a race.
“Above
all, though, we have a car we know we can make fast at every type of
circuit. Whether we’re the quickest at Donington or it’s the SEATs or
whoever I don’t know, but I fully expect myself to be running strongly.
I feel we’re still very strong contenders for the championship.”
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