Team BMW returns to racing this weekend (12/13 June) as Snetterton’s rounds of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship mark the first event with fans trackside since 2019.
The trio of Colin Turkington, Stephen Jelley and Tom Oliphant will be aiming to build on a promising start to the campaign, having secured eight out of a possible nine points-finishes during Thruxton’s opener.
The BMW 330i M Sport went well at Snetterton in 2020, with Turkington following up pole position with a pair of victories, while it was three top 15 places for team-mate Oliphant.
For its second outing this year, the West Surrey Racing-run outfit will be aiming to make the most of two entertaining, new-for-2021 features this weekend, as both the option tyre and the Top Ten Qualifying Showdown make their returns at the Norfolk circuit.
“I’m looking forward to Snetterton,” said Jelley. “Last season, Colin qualified on pole with full ballast, so we know the car is fast there. I think we will be quick, and we had a good pre-season test there too, so I am coming into the weekend with that knowledge behind me.
“It’s a technical racetrack so I will have to get my head down and focus on getting everything right to maximise the weekend for myself, West Surrey Racing, and Team BMW, but I am optimistic and can’t wait to get back racing after the five-week break since Thruxton.”
“Snetterton is a lot more technical [than Thruxton],” said Turkington. “It's a classic British motor racing circuit with a great mix of high and slow speed corners. When everything is hooked up at Snet, it's one of the best feelings! The high-speed stuff is always my favourite.
“I'm itching now to get back to competition and attack the season like I had planned to at Thruxton. It looks like the weather will be nice and hot which I like, and our fitness will come into play with that too. Snetterton is the longest lap of the season, so you get fewer attempts in qualifying to nail it. I like that pressure. The Top Ten Showdown will make it interesting as well. I'm looking forward to those moments where I have to make it count.”
