Colin Turkington completes West Surrey Racing quartet

As expected, West Surrey Racing has announced Colin Turkington as the final member of its expanded four-car line-up for the 2023 BTCC season.

The Northern Irishman will embark on a 15th season with the team looking to secure a record-breaking fifth championship title, having finished fourth in the standings last year at the wheel of his BMW 330e M Sport.

Turkington will once again be partnered by Stephen Jelley and Jake Hill, with Adam Morgan in the additional car being entered after the departure from the series of Ciceley Motorsport.

“I’m extremely pleased to be a part of the WSR team for the 2023 season and to race the BMW 330e M Sport,” Turkington admitted. “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.”

Team boss Dick Bennetts said he was delighted to confirm Turkington’s latest deal to continue in WSR colours.

“We’re very honoured to keep Colin with us in 2023,” he said. “He was a young man when he first raced for us in 2002 and being a 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.”