TURKINGTON TAKES BMW'S 150TH BTCC VICTORY

24th September 2023

Four-time champion Colin Turkington scored BMW's 150th victory in the BTCC, as the tin-top legend triumphed in the reverse-grid race at Silverstone.

Pole-sitter Michael Crees was eased out of the lead early on as NAPA Racing UK's Dan Rowbottom initially took over top spot.

Team BMW's Turkington was making progress in the early laps too as he soon hauled his #4 machine alongside Rowbottom and into the lead.

Rowbottom was fending off the Hyundai duo Ronan Pearson and Tom Ingram, whilst Ash Sutton also joined into the mix.

Ingram also sliced by Rowbottom as he hit the hybrid button as the pair crossed the start/finish line, and Sutton was eventually up to third after a late race shuffle.

Rowbottom held off young charger Pearson for fourth, whilst Josh Cook celebrated Independents' success in sixth.

Ricky Collard had his best outing of the day to take seventh, although team-mate Rory Butcher failed to score his usual Silverstone success after he was punted out of contention on the opening lap.

Jake Hill and Adam Morgan made it three BMWs in the top ten, with the CarStore Power Maxed Racing Vauxhall of Aron Taylor-Smith wedged between them in the order.

The final word on this race goes to Turkington – a fitting man to take the 150th win for the famous Bavarian marque – with BMW also gunning for its tenth manufacturer title.

As for the overall Drivers' championship, it will be Sutton versus Ingram at Brands Hatch in two weeks' time, with the former carrying a 45-point advantage into the grand finale.

Colin Turkington said: "It seemed slicks were the way to go in race one, but we made the wrong call. I then struggled in race two for balance even though I was making progress. The car just wasn’t in the window then, but it was in this race. I could see Tom [Ingram] in P2 and the lights getting closer, but I had a few more hybrid laps than him. It was nice to feel still in control at the end.

"Since I joined BTCC and West Surrey Racing in 2009 we had a great run of success – the BMW has always been a potent weapon in BTCC. We go to Brands Hatch with some work to do, but the cars are looking fast and I hope we can end the season on the high."

Tom Ingram said: "From where we were starting we knew we had to make a bit of progress in the early part to try and stand a chance of getting something out of it. Ronan [Pearson] did a great job - he’s a great team player and let me get past when I needed to so full credit to him. I owe him a couple of beers tonight!

"I’m very pleased. I had a bit of a concern at the end with the power steering with around six laps to go, but thankfully it wasn’t too much of a problem.”

Ash Sutton said: "Ultimately, [Rowbottom] didn’t need to give up a podium so we raced for it instead. Dan helped me in qualifying this weekend and we’ve got enough of a margin now to not need favours. I’m more than happy to race for it.

"I had more hybrid than Dan towards the end and I tried a move at Brooklands and it paid off.

“The aim is to get some points in race one at Brands Hatch and then plan the rest of the day, but we have a 45-point margin for the lead so I can’t ask for much more than that."

2023 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Race Three – Silverstone 

1. Colin Turkington, Team BMW 25 Laps
2. Tom Ingram, BRISTOL STREET MOTORS with EXCELR8 +2.559s
3. Ashley Sutton, NAPA Racing UK +5.541s
4. Daniel Rowbottom, NAPA Racing UK +4.984s
5. Ronan Pearson, BRISTOL STREET MOTORS with EXCELR8 +8.583s
6. Josh Cook, One Motorsport with Starline Racing +9.389s
7. Ricky Collard, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK +10.693s
8. Jake Hill, Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport +14.564s
9. Árón Taylor-Smith, CarStore Power Maxed Racing +017.090s
10. Adam Morgan, Team BMW +17.287s
11. Daniel Lloyd, Autobrite Direct with Millers Oils +17.625s
12. Aiden Moffat, One Motorsport with Starline Racing +18.913s
13. Stephen Jelley, Team BMW +19.243s
14. Mikey Doble, CarStore Power Maxed Racing +20.397s
15. George Gamble, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK +21.072s
16. Dexter Patterson, Re.Beverages and Bartercard with Team HARD +21.574s
17. Sam Osborne, NAPA Racing UK +21.799s
18. Andrew Watson, CarStore Power Maxed Racing +22.937s
19. Nick Halstead, BRISTOL STREET MOTORS with EXCELR8 +23.295s
20. Jade Edwards, One Motorsport with Starline Racing +24.259s
21. Daryl DeLeon, Re.Beverages and Bartercard with Team HARD +24.949s
22. Bobby Thompson, Go-Fix with Autoaid Breakdown +31.727s
23. Dan Cammish, NAPA Racing UK +45.075s
24. Jack Butel, Go-Fix with Autoaid Breakdown +1 Lap
25. Tom Chilton, BRISTOL STREET MOTORS with EXCELR8 +5 Laps
26. Michael Crees, Autobrite Direct with Millers Oils +12 laps
27. Rory Butcher, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK DNF

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