Colin Turkington will start Sunday’s British Touring Car Championship opener at Snetterton from fifth place after a strong qualifying performance in his Team BMW 3 Series.
The Northern Irishman, who is chasing a record-equalling fourth BTCC title this year, was carrying the maximum 55kg success ballast as series leader at the Norfolk circuit and spent the practice sessions honing the set-up of his WSR-run 330i M Sport.
“Colin’s done a very good job to qualify fifth in light of this week’s events and with maximum ballast,” commented team principal Dick Bennetts. “We’ve had the three fastest rear-wheel-drive cars in qualifying, if you include the lap of Tom’s that was taken away, and that’s what we aimed for. We’ll have to have a long discussion over tyre selection for the races tomorrow, because getting this right will be key in being able to continue to score big points for the Drivers’, Teams’ and Manufacturers’ Championships.”
Come qualifying, a superb lap, aided by a tow down Snetterton’s long straights, helped put him on the third row, ahead of all his key championship rivals and in the highest-placed rear-wheel-drive car on a circuit that traditionally favours those with front-wheel drive.
Team-mate Tom Oliphant showed top-10 pace in morning practice and set a time good enough for ninth on the Race-One grid.
Unfortunately for the Leamington Spa-based racer, who scored his career-best result with second place at the most recent event at Oulton Park, he had his lap removed for exceeding track limits.
His only set of new tyres now past their best; Tom, who has helped Team BMW to move to the head of the Teams’ Championship, was relegated to 20th place on the grid.
BMW Pirtek Racing’s Andrew Jordan declared himself ‘satisfied’ after qualifying seventh for the British Touring Car Championship round at Snetterton.
The Lichfield racer, who lies second in the championship, was carrying 48kg success ballast in his WSR-run BMW 330i M Sport and set a strong pace in the 30-minute session after having been the fastest rear-wheel-drive racer in both practice sessions.
Sunday features three races; all live in HD on ITV4; the first getting underway at 1135.
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