Four-time champion takes pole position in dramatic BTCC action at Knockhill

Team BMW's Colin Turkington claimed pole position for Round 19 of the 2024 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship at Knockhill earlier today (10 August), as the four-time champion edged out the impressive Árón Taylor-Smith.

Turkington starred throughout his three separate sessions – aided by a healthy amount of hybrid deployment available – as the BTCC legend continued his flying qualifying form in 2024.

It was the third pole position from seven for Turkington this season and the 30th of his illustrious career. Having scored his 70th race win at Croft last time out, his race win and pole position milestones are now at a combined century of successes.

Turkington's title contending rivals suffered during qualifying, but the ferocious pace at the front meant that Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing's Taylor-Smith only missed out on P1 by just 0.035s.

The Vauxhall Astra squad continued its stellar 2024 form with Taylor-Smith contending for overall honours while also looking to secure the Independents Drivers' title.

It was a double celebration for Team BMW as Adam Morgan secured third, ahead of practice pace-setter Dan Rowbottom in his #32 NAPA Racing UK Ford Focus.

LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ's Josh Cook proved his pace and consistency once more with a top five finish, whilst TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK's Andrew Watson did well to round out the 'Quick Six' contenders.

The drama kicked off from the very start with championship leader Tom Ingram failing to make it out of Q1 – with the Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS car having the minimum hybrid deployment available – and the same fate befell Jake Hill (Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport), Dan Cammish (NAPA Racing UK) and Ash Sutton (NAPA Racing UK) in the second segment.

Tomorrow looks set to be a pivotal day in the 2024 title race with the main protagonists being scattered throughout the grid, so there's little doubting that Turkington is in prime position to reignite his own championship challenge.

Rounds 19, 20 and 21 of the 2024 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship take place at Knockhill tomorrow. The entire race day will be broadcast LIVE across the UK on ITV4 from 1110, whilst every race will be streamed LIVE across the globe via the ITV Sport TikTok channel.

Colin Turkington, Team BMW, said: "It's a nice round number (30 pole positions). My BMW felt really good out there. Qualifying is the first time that you put new rubber on the car and I just think we got it right today. You see the end result and I'm on pole, but the mentality at the start is that you're just trying to get through Q1. My car was really hooked up. We just chipped away in each session and probably found a tenth – I didn't realise just how close it was between Árón [Taylor-Smith] and I. I hope the sun will shine tomorrow and I plan to capitalise."

Árón Taylor-Smith, Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing, said: "I looked down at the dash and thought 'that seems very fast' and then I went slightly quicker again. Just to be in contention against some of these manufacturer teams is something that everyone at Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing should be really proud of – everything has just clicked. I feel like I can push on in this race and I want to try and get this team a win again."

Adam Morgan, Team BMW, said: "The car felt really good. A huge credit to everyone behind me for working so hard. There was some head scratching going on after FP2 but we made a few changes and it worked really well. Great with Colin [Turkington] and I up at front – being in P1 and P3, hopefully we can both get a good jump off the line and I'll be more than happy to stare at Colin's bum for the whole race."

Qualifying – Knockhill – Final Classification