Donington Park is the next stop on the British Touring Car Championship calendar as WSR and BMW prepare for the latest bout in what is becoming a hard-fought title battle.
This will be the second race event for Team BMW and Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport at Donington this year but takes place on Grand Prix circuit; the first time this layout has been used since 2002.
“Although we’ve raced on the GP circuit many times during the nineties and early noughties, there’s not much information we can use from that time to help us,” commented Dick Bennetts, Team Principal. “The Goodyear tyre test in July left us with some useful takeaways, but others will have gained similarly, I suspect.
“We have four drivers who are potential race-winners this weekend, which is a strong position to be in as we continue to fight for the championship on all fronts with BMW. After what happened at Knockhill, we’re all hoping for some consistency with the weather; wet or dry.”
BMW lead the Manufacturers’ points in search of a record-breaking 10th title; the BMW 330e M Sport having won seven times from the opening seven events of the season.
Double wins at Oulton Park and Knockhill – two of the past three events – have launched Kent’s Jake Hill into title contention for the second year in a row.
The Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport driver scored a pole position and a race win on his debut weekend with WSR last year on the shorter ‘national’ layout, but hopes his recent momentum, which has brought him to third in the standings, will continue this weekend.
Momentum is not something Team BMW’s Colin Turkington brings to Donington after being cruelly denied a strong set of results at Knockhill through no fault of his own.
The four-time champion has won in the East Midlands four times in the past five years and qualified on pole position twice in that time. He’s looking for more of the same as he aims to move up from fourth place in the points.
For Stephen Jelley, a second event at Donington means a double-helping of his home circuit for the first time in his BTCC career.
The Leicester ace returned to the podium at Knockhill last time out as he scored his two best finishes of the season with third and fourth-place results.
Team-mate Adam Morgan finished second on the national layout at the opening round of the season in April.
After a season’s-best qualifying result at Knockhill gave way to a disappointing set of raceday results – again through no fault of his own – the Lancashire racer’s aiming to re-establish himself as a contender for race wins.
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