Colin Turkington stormed to pole position for the final round of the British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch to secure the Goodyear Wingfoot Award as the year’s best qualifier.
And with his Championship-leading WSR stablemate Jake Hill qualifying his BMW 330e M Sport sixth for Sunday’s opening race, the stage has been set for an action-packed title showdown.
“It’s very good to take pole position for the final round of the season with Colin and to prove the speed of the BMW on a real handling circuit like Brands Hatch,” said Dick Bennetts, Team Principal. “To win the Goodyear Wingfoot Award for the fourth time in five years is an honour and to have all three cars in the top 10 means we start tomorrow in a strong position to challenge for the Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ Championships.”
Northern Irishman Colin and his Team BMW team-mate Adam Morgan both progressed smoothly through the opening round of qualifying and were joined by Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport racer Jake.
Colin and Jake made serene progress through Q2 to secure their places in the six-car pole position shoot-out late in the afternoon and began the 10-minute session strongly.
Four-time BTCC champion Colin saved his best effort until two minutes from the end of the session; his 1m29.333s lap giving him a fourth pole position of the season – and the 31st of his career – by just 0.036s.
Not only that, but his fifth consecutive front-row start secured him the Goodyear Wingfoot Award as the year’s best qualifier. It is the fourth time in five years that a WSR BMW driver has claimed the award; Colin doing so in 2020-21 and Jake winning it in ’22.
Colin’s pole also netted him a championship bonus point, meaning he retains a mathematical chance of winning the Drivers’ title, and strengthens BMW’s hopes of claiming a record 10th Manufacturers’ crown.
Jake, as points leader, was allowed just one second of the series’ hybrid boost during qualifying – the least amount of any driver – and put his BMW sixth on the grid.
Adam, meanwhile, set the pace in morning practice and was ultra-fast during Q2, only to lose a lap – which would have put him second-fastest and eased his path into the pole shoot-out – to a track-limit offence.
With his tyres now past their peak, the Lancashire racer’s next-best effort was enough for ninth on the grid.
Tomorrow’s three races will decide the destiny of the Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ Championships.
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