BTCC: Turkington: I defended the title as best I could

Team BMW's Colin Turkington is magnanimous in defeat after saying 'he defended the title as best as he could' after losing out to eventual 2020 British Touring Car champion Ash Sutton at the Brands Hatch season finale.

Having wrestled the points lead away from Laser Tool Racing's Sutton following a near-perfect Snetterton meeting three weeks ago, Turkington arrived at the title showdown in the ascendency with a 9-point cushion at the top of the standings.

However, the outgoing four-time champion faced an uphill struggle after qualifying down in eighth, while his rival Sutton qualified five positions higher for the opening race in third.

Indeed, a tough first race in ninth saw Turkington lose the championship lead heading into the penultimate race of the year, and it was a lead he would never recapture. The 38-year old finished second in the standings 14-points behind Sutton and will have to wait another in his quest for a record breaking fifth BTCC crown.

"P2 is nothing to be ashamed of," Turkington told Crash.net. "I defended the title as best I could. On the whole it’s been an excellent season. To win teams’ and manufacturers’ is very important.

"There’s nothing to be ashamed of by finishing runner-up. I gave it my best shot and that’s all you can do.

"We struggled for speed in the greasy conditions. That’s somewhere we can look to improve. Had it of been dry in race three, I’d have had a much better shot. But that’s how it goes."

Turkington's title charge enjoyed a brief revival during the second race, where the four-time champion found himself back on the pace in the drier conditions with a fourth place finish.

But a torrential downpour minutes prior to the final race left Turkington struggling for pace in the wet, a factor which hindered the BMW 330i M Sport squad for most of the weekend.

"We still didn’t have enough pace in three race. That was when it was going to be won or lost. We gave it our best effort," the BMW driver continued.

"I’d have preferred it to be dry. We’re faster in the dry. But you’ve got to be quick in all conditions but at least we know where we can make a step forward.

"We can always improve and make the car quicker. I’ll take a few days off!"