Seven stars from the 2024 British Touring Automobile Championship turned up a few weeks in the past to do battle on the Goodwood Members’ Assembly, however one in every of its most celebrated didn’t, although he’s an everyday on the Sussex circuit’s retro extravaganzas. For four-time champion Colin Turkington, Goodwood was one occasion too many in what has been an intense warm-up across the UK’s humble clubbie scene.
No public-school-type home factors this time for the down-to-earth Northern Irishman; as a substitute it’s been a weight loss program of Mazda MX-5 Supercup at Silverstone, Traditional Sports activities Automobile Membership BMW motion at Donington, a Mini Se7en outing additionally at Donington, and again within the MX-5s at Snetterton.
Goodwood was wedged in between BTCC official assessments at Croft and Donington Park, and the 42-year-old Northern Irishman additionally has the junior autograss profession of older son Lewis – following within the wheeltracks of Dad for his fledgling steps in racing – to take care of.
“I didn’t wish to fully disown my household, so I opted out of Goodwood this time round!” he laughs.
Even so, the opening spherical of the BTCC this weekend, the place Turkington stays as soon as once more with West Surrey Racing and its squad of winter-developed BMW 330e M Sports activities, will likely be his fifth race occasion of the season. The previous 4 have hardly been successful, not helped by mechanical issues on the CSCC weekend that pressured him mid-meeting into one other automobile, or a duff selection of rain tyres on a drying monitor within the Mini. However outcomes weren’t the necessary factor.
“I’ve made a aware effort to get myself race-ready as a result of as you understand testing’s one factor, driving round by your self, making an attempt to enhance the automobile and setting lap instances and many others,” he explains. “However when the lights exit for a race, you’re in a very totally different mindset and a unique headspace, so I simply needed to get again within the groove and normalise as a lot as attainable that race setting.
Turkington has been maintaining himself race-sharp with a programme of membership racing over the spring
Picture by: JEP
“You spend six months over the winter not in race mode. I’m simply making an attempt to be as prepared as attainable, as ready as I might be.”
Turkington has already mentioned that the new-for-2024 BMW powerplant, an evolution of the prevailing B48 unit developed by Neil Brown Engineering, “might be what excites me probably the most” for 2024 after current seasons during which he and his team-mates have needed for straightline velocity, particularly when working within the pack. Alongside a facelift on the three Sequence’ bodywork, WSR staff boss Dick Bennetts has additionally spoken of “chassis work, growth dampers – loads’s gone on beneath the pores and skin of the automobile”.
And Turkington is optimistic. Lest we neglect amid the thrill over 2023 dominator Ash Sutton and his quest for a record-breaking fifth BTCC crown, the reigning champion shouldn’t be the one driver within the area with that focus on…
“That on the spot energy supply from the hybrid deployment is what I had imagined in my head it was going to be at the start of 2022. You may actually really feel the step up in grunt”
Colin Turkington
“We’re very assured that we’ve moved our bundle on with the brand new engine and made a step ahead on that aspect, however any achieve that we’ve got made – or doubtlessly made – will all be relative to what degree the competitors has moved onto as properly,” ponders Turkington.
“So in all honesty we gained’t most likely know till the primary race, when every thing is at flat-chat, if you’re pushing to 100%. Via winter testing you are usually extra targeted on chassis work and growth, and dealing with. And even the primary race weekend… It tends to be the primary three weekends, I discover, earlier than you see a correct, true sample of the pecking order. The primary race weekend can typically be an anomaly.
“Sadly as properly, it will have been nice to do an entire back-to-back, to have one automobile sitting in 2023 spec with final yr’s engine, final yr’s bodywork, final yr’s weight distribution and many others. Clearly there are new tyres for this yr as properly. That might have been the dream situation, however we’re not ready to do this, so in the mean time we’re simply going off feeling actually.”
Testing started properly with a dry non-public day at Snetterton, earlier than the official classes at Manufacturers Hatch, Croft and Donington featured blended climate, about 50-50 wet-dry. Because of this, final week the BMWs had been loaded up within the paddock on the East Midlands circuit and, as a substitute of heading south again to WSR HQ in Sunbury, went west to Pembrey, the place… it rained on the primary day, however at the least it was positive on the second.
For the primary time since his final title win in 2019, Turkington has Dan Millard as his engineer
Picture by: JEP / Motorsport Images
It’s not solely been about fettling the automobiles, as a result of Turkington has been reacclimatising to returning engineer Dan Millard, with whom he labored in his most up-to-date title-winning season in 2019. Since 2020, it had been John Waterman – a part of the WSR technical staff that conceived the NGTC model of the three Sequence and who has led growth in current seasons – on his automobile.
“I suppose the pondering was only a refresh actually, kind of a brand new voice in my ears once more, a unique mind overseeing my marketing campaign and what I’m doing,” causes Turkington, whose 4 seasons with Waterman yielded two runner-up championship finishes and two fourth locations. “I had good success with John – we simply missed on the market on a couple of events.
“That was a super-strong relationship, however I simply thought that for me to try to progress and try to discover one other degree, that it was value a switch-up; any individual as properly bringing totally different concepts and ideas to the desk.
“When Dan left us he then labored on the Infiniti, and he was at Speedworks final yr with the Toyota [engineering George Gamble]. So Dan’s absolutely as much as the velocity. He’s not new to the staff, however if you convey any individual in who hasn’t been there for 4 years or so, he comes again in with information from inside the paddock, and that may be helpful.”
All of the groups have needed to trial the tweaks to the enhance rules, successfully doubling the circa 30bhp surge from the hybrid through the addition of a turbo enhance facility. Though this was not put in on the BMWs for the preliminary assessments, it was on board in time for the second official run-out at Croft.
“It was a very nice shock,” enthuses Turkington. “That on the spot energy supply from the hybrid deployment is what I had imagined in my head it was going to be at the start of 2022 [when hybrid was introduced]. You may actually really feel the step up in grunt, after which, if you come off the button, it’s virtually like pulling out of the slipstream and hitting a brick wall!
“Positively it’s going to assist overtaking, it’s going to be an enormous benefit by way of lap time. If in case you have a whole lot of seconds or a whole lot of laps it’s going that can assist you make progress, however nonetheless you’ve acquired to go the automobile that’s in entrance of you. At all times with touring automobile racing, monitor place is vital. And we’ve additionally seen lately that in the event you’re beginning close to the entrance of the pack, you’re up and away.
A brand new engine has Turkington enthused for the season forward
Picture by: JEP
“Quite a lot of instances we might lose out, and that is any automobile, automobiles usually, you lose out within the pack. Simply if you lose that little bit of entrance downforce it prices you lap time, it prices you grip, and then you definitely’re kind of utilizing your hybrid to make up for that. Definitely it’s an enormous step in the fitting course, so I’m excited to see the way it performs out.”
No matter occurs, he’s prone to discover himself within the neighborhood of team-mate Jake Hill, as he has been so typically for the reason that hard-charging Kentishman joined WSR for 2022 – and beat the elder statesman to 3rd within the championship in each their seasons collectively. Good, unassuming man that Turkington is off the monitor, the metaphorical horns have been in proof from time to time once they’ve been doing battle. However presumably, no matter this, there’s a cooperation off the monitor for the staff’s widespread good?
“Yeah, in honesty there’s,” displays Turkington. “While you go right into a race weekend, relying on the time of the yr and what’s at stake and many others, you’re working laborious to beat one another, and the tip objective is to beat all people else.
“Perhaps to start with Jake noticed me because the direct enemy, however I feel now we each perceive that all of us have to work collectively”
Colin Turkington
“We’re very a lot conscious that the producers’ championship is one thing we actually wish to come up with once more this yr, in order that requires us each to be up there constantly scoring large factors and outscoring the likes of NAPA, Hyundai and Toyota.
“Clearly we’re at totally different phases of our careers, Jake and me, and Jake does remind me of myself from 10 or 15 years in the past, regardless of the age hole is [it’s 12 – ed]! I can see precisely the place he’s at in his profession, and he’s super-hungry. We now have a very good relationship.
“Clearly it’s spiked up a couple of instances out on monitor, however I feel that’s fairly regular, whether or not it’s from go-karting to Components 1. It’s a very good signal, as a result of any time we’ve clashed or no matter, we’ve been on the entrance of the pack, we’ve been preventing one another for wins, and that’s precisely once more the place we must be this yr.
“I feel we’ve realized over the primary two seasons collectively – I really feel that possibly Jake has realized a bit extra – that we do have to work collectively, significantly within the early phases of the season. A championship’s by no means gained on these first few race weekends. It’s nearly understanding the larger image and never taking pointless dangers with one another.
“I feel we’re in a greater place to do this now. Perhaps to start with Jake noticed me because the direct enemy, however I feel now we each perceive that all of us have to work collectively.”
Turkington and Hill have come to blows on a couple of events for the reason that latter joined WSR for 2022, however the Northern Irishman believes they’re properly positioned to work collectively
Picture by: JEP / Motorsport Images
It’s value mentioning right here that Hill had not often been a part of an enormous staff.
“That’s fully true,” agrees Turkington. “He’d all the time simply been preventing for himself, and that’s the mindset that you just’re fully locked in. He’s been very quick these previous two seasons, so little doubt that may proceed.”
The contribution of Adam Morgan, who joined the WSR fold for 2023 after his household Ciceley Motorsport staff pulled out of the BTCC after working BMWs in 2021-22, shouldn’t be underestimated both, particularly since he introduced Bennetts’ fellow Antipodean, engineer Steve Farrell, with him.
“Adam and Steve had been an enormous asset immediately once they moved from Ciceley, and instantly I can consider two pretty main set-up objects that they’d on their automobile at Ciceley that we then explored and noticed good potential in,” reveals Turkington. “Adam’s one of many top-drawer drivers in BTCC, so after all they’re including large worth.
“Steve’s fairly experimental. He’s not afraid to suppose outdoors the field and do one thing a bit totally different, and that’s nice for us all, as a result of if all of us simply spend time fine-tuning the automobile, then we kind of make child steps ahead, but when persons are avenues that we haven’t been earlier than, there may very well be large potential. That’s what we have to do to get to the subsequent degree.”
Find out how to be an ace engineer: Steve Farrell
You may inform the need is there. For this yr, Turkington has deserted his standard behavior of utilizing the custom from the Nineties Tremendous Touring days – when he fell in love with the BTCC as a teen – of carrying a automobile quantity to mirror his championship place of the yr earlier than.
This yr he runs as #20, as a result of “it’s my twentieth season within the BTCC. I began in 2002 however I missed a couple of within the center doing different issues. For me it was only a good method to tip my hat to BTCC and say thanks for 20 years of a profession, and good recollections, good instances.” He additionally quips that 20 is “the years I wish to be, it’s my psychological age!”
Turkington (left at Croft in 2002 with James Thompson and the late David Leslie) is marking his twentieth BTCC season by carrying #20
Picture by: Malcolm Griffiths
However don’t make the error of assuming that this implies he’s cruising into retirement: “If I do a Matt Neal and get to 30 I’ll be massively – and pleasantly – stunned! I’m nonetheless as decided, and the desire to win is simply as a lot because it ever was. Sadly, if you win it, it makes you crave it much more, as the opposite guys can confirm.
“I wouldn’t be signing up for it once more if I didn’t suppose I used to be succesful, or had a automobile that wasn’t able to doing it. My sights are absolutely set on doing the most effective I can. I feel it’s very troublesome to say you’re going to win it – all people needs to win it – however my goal this yr is simply to offer it my all and do the most effective I can. That’s stood by me in earlier campaigns, so yeah, I’ll give it my finest shot.”
Don’t be too stunned if he’s carrying #1 once more subsequent yr. After warming up for 2025 at some freezing chilly membership occasions, after all.
Can Turkington comply with up his title successes from 2009, 2014, 2018 and 2019?
Picture by: JEP