The Northern Irish four-time champion as soon as once more led each lap on his option to victory in his West Surrey Racing BMW 330e M Sport, regardless of a late security automobile eradicating his benefit.
The brand new regulation mandating every of the highest 10 in race one use the toughest out there tyre – the medium compound Goodyear at this occasion – served solely to take out a variable among the many main contenders, nevertheless it didn’t cease a traditional tin-top race in Turkington’s wake.
Turkington acknowledged the presence of his team-mate Jake Hill in second place, from fourth on the grid, as key in enabling him to make a break within the early levels.
The main BMW pulled out a bonus of over two seconds whereas Hill had a gang comprising Ash Sutton, Josh Cook dinner and Tom Ingram swarming throughout him.
Ultimately, Sutton, who had set the quickest lap, prised the door open at Druids on the seventh tour, and the Alliance Racing-run NAPA Racing Ford Focus ST snuck via into second place, with Cook dinner and Ingram additionally getting previous the Laser Instruments-liveried BMW.
A couple of laps later, Ingram acquired his Excelr8 Motorsport Hyundai i30 N down the within of Cook dinner’s Speedworks Motorsport Toyota Corolla GR Sport at Druids for third, and set off after Sutton.
Turkington was now over 4 seconds to the nice, earlier than Hill went off at Druids. The BMW had been used as one thing of a pinball because it fell into the pack, and steering failure despatched it into gentle contact with the barrier.
Colin Turkington at Manufacturers Hatch
Picture by: Jakob Ebrey Images
That introduced out the protection automobile, and it returned to the pits with 9 laps of racing remaining.
Turkington instantly pulled out a margin whereas Ingram set about Sutton.
The reigning champion initially stoutly defended from the 2022 title winner, earlier than a completely sensational transfer from Ingram with 4 laps remaining.
The Hyundai had two wheels on the grass on the high-speed strategy to Paddock earlier than muscling via on the within to seize second place, to the annoyance of a miffed Sutton, who stated: “The principles say if there’s a spot you may go for it. There wasn’t a spot as a result of he used the grass. It’s not likely on.”
Sutton didn’t quit, and his makes an attempt to reclaim second allowed the WSR BMW of Adam Morgan, who had scythed his means via the pack on comfortable tyres from fifteenth on the grid, to catch them up.
Morgan drew alongside Sutton on the run to the end line however fell narrowly in need of the rostrum, which was topped by his team-mate.
“I realised fairly shortly after the protection automobile that Ash and Tom have been getting concerned in a fairly epic scrap,” stated Turkington, who has now moved right into a one-point championship lead over Ingram.
Tom Ingram, Bristol Road Motors Hyundai i30 N Fastback
Picture by: JEP / Motorsport Images
“Each time I appeared within the mirror I used to be one other couple of automobile lengths forward.
“That might have been much more troublesome than it was, however we managed it nicely.”
The Speedworks Toyotas of each Cook dinner and Rob Huff, who reached as excessive as sixth on comfortable tyres, have been each known as into the pits to restore unfastened bumpers – one thing that appears to be a recurrent downside on the Corolla.
Simply earlier than Cook dinner pitted, Tom Chilton tried to cross the Toyota in his Excelr8 Hyundai at Graham Hill Bend, however the lack of momentum allowed Dan Rowbottom to zap each in his Alliance Ford.
Rowbottom subsequently completed fifth from Chilton, Dan Cammish (from 18th on the grid in his Alliance Ford), Aiden Moffat (Speedworks Toyota), and the Energy Maxed Racing Vauxhall Astras of Mikey Doble and Aron Taylor-Smith.
In eleventh place, Excelr8 Hyundai driver Ronan Pearson was drawn on the reversed-grid pole, and the Scot nonetheless has his set of soppy tyres to make use of.