Colin Turkington hails hard work after qualifying

Colin Turkington put his front row qualifying spot at Rockingham down to “hard work” ahead of round 22 of the BTCC.

The championship leader put his West Surrey Racing BMW in second place on the grid, behind Triple Eight’s Sam Tordoff, to put himself in a prime position to manage his gap at the top of the drivers’ standings.

“We knew it’d be hard work,” Turkington told TouringCarTimes. “Rockingham’s not an easy circuit for us, but we’ve improved throughout the day and to get on the front row is great.”

A common factor this weekend is likely to be tyre management, and although FWD teams are likely to be most effected, but Turkington believes that RWD teams will also feel the pinch.

“Tyre management is going to be tough over 16 laps,” continued Turkington, who currently holds a 23 point margin over Gordon Shedden and carries maximum ballast as a result.

“Even in qualifying there was a very small window of opportunity before the tyres went off. If we can get a car that doesn’t drop off too much then we should be in good shape tomorrow.”