Turkington sticks with WSR for 2019 BTCC title defence

Colin Turkington will return to defend his British Touring Car Championship title with the BMW-backed West Surrey Racing squad.

Turkington scored one victory from 30 races on his way to claiming his third BTCC crown with WSR in 2018, beating chief rival Tom Ingram by 12 points in the drivers’ standings.

The 36-year-old will remain with the team that has propelled him to each of his three titles once again for the upcoming 2019 campaign.

“My 2018 title was definitely one of my best, and my goal is always to achieve just that; be the best I can in both life and motorsport,” said Turkington.

“Becoming a triple champion felt great, but I’m hungry for much more and racing with Team BMW in the BTCC gives me this opportunity.

“Now I have to ask myself ‘how can I improve for this coming season and how can I be a better driver?’

“I’m thrilled by the commitment from BMW that allows me to stay in one of the most desired seats in global touring cars and with a team who continue to set the benchmark.

“Team BMW is the place to be and we want to make history together. This is where I’m happiest; with people I trust, and when I’m happy, I perform.”

The 46-time BTCC race winner will be joined at WSR by Tom Oliphant, who moves up from Ciceley Motorsport for his sophomore campaign in the UK’s premier class of touring car racing.

WSR team principal Dick Bennetts added: “I’m extremely pleased that Colin will defend his title with us, allowing WSR to carry #1 on a BTCC car for the first time, and equally proud that BMW has chosen to continue its support of our programme.

“Colin is one of the world’s best touring car drivers and has spent the majority of his career with us, so we’ve developed an environment here that allows us all to get the best out of each other.

“I can’t think of a manufacturer who has achieved more in touring car racing globally than BMW, so to continue to be associated with them in 2019 is a great honour for our team.

“We’ve won 10 overall BTCC titles in the past 10 seasons – all with BMWs – so to have their continued support in 2019 is a reflection of their belief in our team to get the job done.”