Team BMW and Colin Turkington claimed a sensational Donington Park double win to soar to the head of the British Touring Car Teams’ Championship with the new 330i M Sport.
Colin’s pair of victories for the WSR-run team made him the top scorer of the weekend and moved him up to third in the Drivers’ standings; just five points off the top spot.
“We’re still learning with the new BMW 330i M Sport and it certainly has a great deal of potential,” commented Team Principal Dick Bennetts. “It’s reliable too, as Colin and Tom (Oliphant) have finished every race so far this season.
“This weekend we ran the car without weight, then with maximum success ballast and then with weight on the hard tyre in a race for the very first time, and whilst we still have a lot to learn everything appears very positive going forward.
“To have a brand new car and to finish so well in the points in each race, and to be leading the Teams’ Championship at such an early stage of the season, is very encouraging.”
And there was more success for Team BMW as Tom Oliphant scored his first BTCC podium finish with third in Race One and both drivers finished all three races for the second meeting in a row.
Having qualified on pole position, Colin got his race weekend off to a perfect start with a lights-to-flag victory in Race One.
He made a clean getaway and, after twice pulling away from the field (only for a Safety Car to close the gap), the Northern Irishman stretched his lead to win by 2.254 seconds.
An almost identical second race, including two Safety-Car periods, resulted in another victory – one more than me managed across the whole of his 2018 title-winning season!
It was far from easy, as he had to manage the 54kg success ballast that had been added to the car – and which he would also carry in the third and final race.
Starting 10th for the finale; and enabling the team to run the new car on maximum success ballast and on the hard slick-tyre compound for the first time – it proved successful, with ninth place the result.
Team-mate Tom made a magnificent start in the opening race to move up three spots to sixth; cementing the overtaking with a brave manoeuvre around the outside of Redgate corner.
Enjoying a return to rear-wheel drive racing, the Leamington Spa racer moved into third by mid-race distance and, having opened up a nice gap to fourth, consolidated his position to score his first BTCC podium.
Tom made another magnificent start in Race Two, momentarily moving up to second before becoming embroiled in a close battle for a podium position. Carrying 42kg success ballast, he slipped to sixth and looked set for another very strong result, before an ambitious overtaking move from behind spun his BMW 330i M Sport at Redgate corner on the penultimate lap.
He resumed in 17th; a great shame after showing such a good race pace and compromising his race three ambitions.
Tom also used the hard compound slick in Race Three which, apart from the Thruxton test, was the first time he had driven on it. Starting 15th, he did extremely well to finish a trouble-free 13th.
The next BTCC race weekend takes place at Thruxton on Sunday 19 May.
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