Colin Turkington's 2003 MG season.

Last year in the BTCC MG XPower driver Colin Turkington was the hottest young blood on the block with so many performances worthy of a long future in the series. Here Colin looks back.

Q
What was your favourite moment of 2003 season?

Colin Turkington
My favourite moment of 2003 was crossing the finish line at Brands Hatch and realising I had won the race. It was an unbelievable sensation seeing the waved chequered flag and the West Surrey Racing guys over the pit wall cheering me on. I honestly thought there was another lap to go, so I was as surprised as anyone to see the chequered flag.

Q
What was your best race of the season?

Colin Turkington
I feel like I performed to my best at Donington Park. After finishing a lap down in race one, I started 15th for race two and finished up second. My MG on this particular day was working fantastically - thanks to my engineer and the team behind me - and I felt much stronger than anyone else on the circuit. I still think I could have given Yvan a real fight for the lead on the last few laps, but unfortunately after passing James I ran too deep into the Old Hairpin and lost a lot of time.

Q
Which race was the hardest?

Colin Turkington
My hardest race was definitely round four at Brands Hatch. I qualified well and was lying second for most of the race, but we had been struggling for front grip all weekend. With about 10 laps to go my tyres felt shot and I had to defend from James and Paul O'Neill. Anyway, the race ended with me in the barrier on the exit of Graham Hill after contact with James - I was gutted!

Q
Which track do you think suited the EX261 the best this year?

Colin Turkington
I think in the second half of the season, from Croft onwards, every track suited our car. It is no secret that we struggled at the start of the year with the new tyre, but the car felt transformed in the latter half of the year and we had the potential to win at every round.

Q
How do you think your 2003 team-mates fared this year?

Colin Turkington
I feel as though I have achieved a lot this year in terms of learning from Anthony and Warren. Last year was my second year in touring cars and having such experienced team-mates to learn from was a perfect situation.

Q
How about yourself for both this year and the future?

Colin Turkington
For me the future is uncertain at the moment. I would love to remain with West Surrey Racing and MG but it is just a matter of waiting to see if the opportunity arises. Touring car racing is my greatest passion in life, so I want to remain within the championship for as long as I can.

Q
What was the most frustrating aspect of the season?

Colin Turkington
The most frustrating aspect of my season was failing to race for the second consecutive year at Mondello Park. In 2001 I took ill after qualifying and never made it to race day and last year only made it as far as the warm up lap. Mondello is definitely my 'bogey circuit', it's the one closest to my home but yet I have never raced there. Who said the Irish have all the luck?

Q
How does that first win feel when you look back on it now?

Colin Turkington
I will never forget the day I won my first touring car race at Brands Hatch. To clinch the race from Yvan on the last lap made it even more special. They say getting the first win is always the hardest, but in this championship they never come easy. The feeling I get from winning is a real motivator for future success.

Q
Do you think the BTCC has the potential to return to its heyday?

Colin Turkington
From competing in the BTCC support races from 1999 onwards, I got a great sense of how successful the championship was. Things definitely appear to be falling back into place, with new manufactures and packed grids expected for next year, I expect the racing to be as good as ever. I cannot wait!

Q
What have you been doing since the season's end?

Colin Turkington
Since the end of the season it has been back to the stressful life of being a student again. The off season gives me a chance to catch up with my degree and enjoy a great social life at Stirling University.