Reigning BTCC champion Colin Turkington is throwing down the gauntlet at Silverstone this weekend and giving it everything to secure wins on the National circuit layout.

During the last round at Knockhill, the Team BMW driver saw his points lead in the championship cut from thirty down to ten after failing to score in the second race of the weekend.

“Knockhill was a real rollercoaster ride,” said Turkington. “Through no fault of our own, we sacrificed a lot of points, but we live to fight another day, and I firmly believe that out of a setback arises the opportunity for a comeback. With that in mind, I’m very much looking forward to Silverstone.”

Last year at Silverstone, Turkington took two eighth places and a third place, helping him on his way to his third BTCC championship.

“I had a really positive weekend there last year, and we’ve been strong and able to hunt out good results everywhere we’ve been so far this year, so I’m feeling confident.

“The final couple of race weekends of the season are always a little bit different – the formbook tends to go out of the window, and it’s a question of grinding out results, and that’s exactly what I intend to do.”

Credit: BTCC / Jakob Ebrey Photography

With his lead down to ten points ahead of BMW team-mate Andrew Jordan and Honda’s Dan Cammish only one point further back, Turkington is heading into the race weekend with an attacking mentality.

“I’m not focussing on protecting my lead anymore – I’m going out there to properly attack and really enjoy the weekend, and in many respects, that is a simpler approach than keeping a constant eye on your mirrors.

“Every point will be crucial now, and I’ve just got to go for it, which has always been the way I prefer to race.

“Even with the reduced ballast in the BTCC this year, I still expect qualifying to be tough because the whole grid has tightened up.

“The extra weight will certainly hurt and shuffle the pack, but my job is to deliver the best lap time I can and then move forward in all three races.”