WSR has today (8 February) announced that four-time titleholder Colin Turkington will remain with the team for the 2023 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship.
The Northern Irishman, one of the most successful drivers in the BTCC’s 65-year history, completes the four-strong line-up of BMW 330e M Sport race cars for the Sunbury-on-Thames team.
Turkington scored three wins and 12 podium finishes in 2022 as he fought for the title all the way to the final round of the season and eventually finished fourth in the standings.
His results not only helped BMW claim a record-breaking seventh straight Manufacturers’ title – six of which he has been a key part of – but also put him second-equal in the series’ all-time winners’ list with 63 race victories.
Having made his BTCC debut with the WSR-run Team Atomic Kitten in 2002, Turkington has secured each of his overall Drivers’ titles plus four of his five Independents’ crowns in WSR BMWs.
Colin’s confirmation lines him up with fellow 2022 WSR drivers Stephen Jelley and Jake Hill plus team newcomer Adam Morgan.
WSR, which aims to add to its 16 overall BTCC titles, plans to begin pre-season testing in early March, before the 30-round season kicks off on 22/23 April at Donington Park and will once again be screened live and exclusively in HD on ITV4.
“I’m extremely pleased to be a part of the WSR team for the 2023 season and to race the BMW 330e M Sport,” said Turkington. “This will be my 15th year with WSR and you couldn’t ask for a better team to be a part of. I’ve been in title contention every year since I came back here in 2017 and naturally the aim is to go to Brands Hatch in October with everything to play for.
“I think it’ll be an even more competitive season than 2022 with the rule changes around the option tyres, the shoot-out qualifying and hybrid deployment use. With Adam joining, I now have three strong team-mates all with the same ambition to win, and that gives me an opportunity to keep learning and improve myself. To stay in the hunt, we’ll have to bring our A-game to every event, and that’s where being with a team like WSR, with its engineering expertise and experience of winning championships, is a huge plus point.”
“We’re very honoured to keep Colin with us in 2023,” added Team Principal Dick Bennetts. “He was a young man when he first raced for us in 2002 and being part of his growth from a promising youngster into a race winner and then into one of the most successful drivers in the history of the BTCC has been very special.
"Naturally, our target is to win the Drivers’, Teams’, and Manufacturers’ titles this year and we have a very strong line-up to help us achieve this. While it gets tougher every year as the level of competition improves and the rules are continually evolving to level the playing field, the way we go about things at WSR has consistently put us at or near the front over the past decade. Having a driver like Colin in our corner, with his never-say-die attitude, his analytical approach, searing speed and loyalty has been one of the cornerstones of that.”
