Team BMW strengthened its lead in manufacturer and team points at the British Touring Car Championship event at Thruxton on September 20, but for a change, no BMWs made the podium in the event.
Colin Turkington in his Team BMW/West Surrey Racing 330i M Sport, who had gone into Thruxton with the points lead, did not finish race one, finished out of the points in race two, and finished eighth in race three. His teammate Tom Oliphant finished eighth in race one and sixth in races two and three.
On a weekend when the rear-drive cars received a boost reduction, the overall wins went to front drivers; Tom Ingram won races one and two for Toyota, and Josh Cook won race three for Honda. But BMW’s points were enough to keep them in the lead ahead of Honda.
Ash Sutton, whose rear-drive Infiniti was given boost reductions along with the BMWs, finished fifth in race one and fourth in races two and three, moving him ahead of Turkington in drivers’ points. Oliphant is sixth in drivers’ standings.
The series runs again at Silverstone on September 26–27 in the sixth event of nine over the course of the season.—Brian Morgan
[Photo courtesy British Touring Car Championship.]
