Reflecting on a BTCC legend

More than a month has now passed since the announcement from Colin Turkington that he wouldn’t be part of the British Touring Car Championship grid for the 2025 season.

Even now, it’s somewhat bizarre to think that the Northern Irishman isn’t going to be on track in a WSR-run BMW this year and won’t be on the entry list when it is officially revealed at Donington Park this coming week week.

Turkington’s racing career is intrinsically linked to the team, having completed all bar three of his BTCC campaigns with the team – firstly at the wheel of an MG before the move over to a BMW.

WSR have carried him to all four of his BTCC titles and the majority of his wins – with 61 of his 72 victories in the series coming with Dick Bennetts and his team.

There have also been four independents titles as Turkington cemented his position as one of the the all-time greats in the series, having scored more points in the championship than any other driver since it was launched back in 1958.

Turkington also sits second on the all-time winners list and is third in terms of podium finishes, having impressed from the first season he joined the grid at the wheel of an MG ZS running under the Team Atomic Kitten banner.

It took just a season for him to secure a seat in one of the works MG cars being run by WSR and also led to a single season with Triple Eight and Vauxhall before his move into a BMW led to the 2009 title.

That title battle with Jason Plato and Fabrizio Giovanardi remains one of the best we’ve ever seen. All three drivers would be at the sharp end across a dramatic finals day at Brands Hatch and Plato even matched to become just the second driver in the modern era to score three wins in a day – but it couldn’t stop Turkington from taking the title.

The emotions were just as big in 2014 when title number two was secured although it was the third title in 2018 that topped the lot, coming as it did in the same year that mother Mavis passed away.

Title number four twelve months later meant Turkington had won the crown in three different cars, with each title won thanks to the consistent approach that has served him well during his career.

Other drivers on the grid are arguably more exciting to watch when grabbing a car by the scruff of the neck, but few can match Turkington for consistently running towards the front picking up points, as best seen by his 2018 title given it was secured with a single race win.

Turkington isn’t the first of the big names to depart the series in recent seasons, with both Matt Neal and Plato having bowed out – and for similar reasons to the Northern Irishman.

In the case of Turkington however, it feels a little different…

When Neal bowed out at the end of the 2020 campaign, he did so after finishing outside the top ten for the first time since the 1990s and having not scored a win in two seasons. Plato meanwhile left after the 2022 campaign having also failed to win in two years, and with one top ten championship finish in his final five seasons.

By contrast, Turkington scored five wins last season to finish fourth in the standings for a third successive campaign – having scored more points than he did to win his last two titles.

Turkington may yet return to the grid in 2026, with Gordon Shedden’s deal to join Speedworks after two seasons away a reflection of the fact that moving onto the sidelines shouldn’t mean the end of his time on the grid.

Indeed, Turkington has been in this position before back in 2009 when he secured the title for the first time and then was unable to return to defend the crown in 2010 after WSR lost title backing from RAC.

Then, he was able to compete in a selected events in the World Touring Car Championship with both WSR and the German Wiechers-Sport team, whilst there was also a year in the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship with Flash Engineering before a return to grid in 2013.

Aside from a vastly different commercial landscape, the big difference for Turkington this time around is that his two sons are both now getting involved in their own racing careers, which will undoubtedly start to become more of a focus for the four-time champion.

Eldest son Lewis is moving into circuit racing in the Fiesta Junior Championship, whilst Adam will follow in his brother’s footsteps in British Autograss.

Only time will tell if Turkington returns to the BTCC grid but nothing will change the fact that he will forever be regarded amongst the series greats.