Turkington storms to BTCC lead 26 | 08 | 2018
FORMER KNOCKHILL RACE instructor Colin Turkington left the rain-ravaged Fife circuit having taken a significant step towards sealing is third British Touring Car Championship crown. (Related: Rory Butcher targets home BTCC success at Knockhill)
The Northern Irishman, who entered the weekend holding a slender four-point lead over the Toyota Avensis of nearest rival Tom Ingram, headed home having extended his advantage to 43 points.
“It’s certainly been a terrific weekend for me,” Turkington, who bagged two second places and a fourth in the triple-header contested in treacherous conditions, said after climbing out of his BMW.
“It's been my strategy just to consistently score. Two podiums and a fourth is a great haul. You get to this stage of the season and the race weekends don't follow a predictable pattern. Anything can happen at any given time. I'd rather have the points in the bag than go chasing them.
“It’s been a great day for BMW all-round, too. Whether the tracks suit you or not is almost beside the point now. You've just got to keep plugging away and fighting for points. You've seen today that results can be taken away through nothing to do with your driving.
“There’s no denying the results have worked in my favour. It certainly puts me in a strong position with just Silverstone and Brands Hatch to come, but I’m taking nothing for granted. This is the BTCC and we know anything can happen.”
While there were race wins for the Subaru of Ashley Sutton, Andy Jordan’s BMW and the Ford Focus RS of Tom Chilton, Scot Rory Butcher delivered three impressive results on his home track.
Starting the opening race from 23rd on the grid, the 31-year-old from Kirkcaldy slithered his MG6 to 10th. In the following two races he improved further, finishing ninth and seventh.
“I’ve got to be happy with that,” the talented young Scot beamed. “To bag three top 10 finishes on my home track in front of all my family, friends and sponsors is terrific.”
There were mixed fortunes for the two other Scots on the grid. Dalkeith’s Aiden Moffat finished 18th, 15th and 12th in his Mercedes, while Butcher’s MG team-mate, Aberdeen’s Glynn Geddie posted a best finish was 17th.
2018 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 22 – Knockhill:
1 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing 27 laps
2 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +1.287s
3 Dan CAMMISH (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +2.779s
4 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +2.999s
5 Josh COOK (GBR) Power Maxed TAG Racing +3.433s
6 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +4.370s
7 Tom OLIPHANT (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +6.606s
8 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +7.015s
9 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Mac Tools with Ciceley Motorsport +7.778s
10 Rory BUTCHER (GBR) AmD with AutoAid/RCIB Insurance Racing +8.108s
2018 Dunlop MSA BTCC – Round 23 – Knockhill:
1 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +1.222s
2 Josh COOK (GBR) Power Maxed TAG Racing +1.835s
3 Dan CAMMISH (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +2.577s
4 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +3.077s
5 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Mac Tools with Ciceley Motorsport +3.659s
6 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher +4.305s
7 Rory BUTCHER (GBR) AmD with AutoAid/RCIB Insurance Racing +6.981s
8 Jack GOFF (GBR) WIX Racing with Eurotech +7.653s
9 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) DUO Motorsport with HMS Racing +8.239s
10 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +8.586s
2018 Dunlop MSA BTCC – Round 24 – Knockhill:
1 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher 27 laps
2 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +0.948s
3 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +6.332s
4 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Mac Tools with Ciceley Motorsport +10.899s
5 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Team GardX Racing with Motorbase +11.112s
6 Josh COOK (GBR) Power Maxed TAG Racing +11.590s
7 Rory BUTCHER (GBR) AmD with AutoAid/RCIB Insurance Racing +12.075s
8 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +15.266s
9 Jack GOFF (GBR) WIX Racing with Eurotech +16.153s
10 Dan LLOYD (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +16.446s
Related: BTCC champ Gordon Shedden fired-up for world title bid with Audi
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Jim McGill
All photos copyright of Jakob Ebrey