The name Colin Turkington may not be well-known among BMW racing enthusiasts here in the US, but he’s very well-known to racing fans in Europe who have followed the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) over the last twenty years.
Since joining the BTCC in 2022, Turkington has become one of the most successful drivers in series history, racking up 4 drivers’ titles, 5 independents titles, 192 podium finishes, 72 race victories, 76 fastest laps, and 31 pole positions, almost all of them behind the wheel of a BMW. He finished in the top five in the championship 16 times over the last 20 years. In 2024, he scored 5 wins and won the Goodyear Wingfoot Award as the best qualifier, driving for the West Surrey Racing (WSR) BMW team, where he spent most of his career.
Turkington announced on February 14th that he will not be a part of the BTCC grid in 2025. “I know this won’t be the news that so many are waiting for, but today I can confirm I will not be competing in the BTCC in 2025,” he stated. “There is not one single reason for this, simply a combination of factors and feelings that has helped me make this decision. I cannot imagine having sacrificed any more or working any harder, leaving me with absolutely no regrets. Sustaining the highest level of performance and consistency and winning for the teams I’ve raced for is what’s driven me and the successes that I’m most proud of.” Turkington went on to thank the BTCC, BMW, and the WSR race team.
Turkington (left) and WSR Team Principal Dick Bennetts.
WSR Team Principal Dick Bennetts also released a statement about Turkington’s departure from the series. “Today we are disappointed to be losing the services of Colin Turkington ahead of the 2025 BTCC season,” he said. “Colin has come a long way since I first met him in late 2001 just after he’d won the Fiesta Championship as a 19-year-old and is, quite simply, the most successful BTCC driver of his generation. Together, he and WSR have created the greatest partnership in the BTCC history with four overall championship titles, four Independents’ crowns and 61 victories (of a career total of 72) achieved together in a variety of car makes and models. It was always our intention to continue our partnership into a ninth consecutive season and a 19th campaign in total. However, despite our best efforts, commercial realities have meant that this has simply not been possible. As Colin has said himself today, we should not be sad it’s over, but instead be happy it happened at all.”
It’s unclear if the “commercial realities” (i.e., lack of money) that led to Turkington’s being out at WSR this year will keep him from racing anywhere or just in the BTCC. The WSR team is continuing its long partnership with BMW in the BTCC this year, with drivers Jake Hill, Daryl DeLeon, Aiden Moffat, and another driver still to be announced, all of whom are presumably bringing their own funding.
—David Haueter
[Photos courtesy WSR, BTCC]
