Turkington and Jelley confirmed at Team BMW for 2022 season

Colin Turkington will remain with Team BMW alongside Stephen Jelley in the British Touring Car Championship after the West Surrey Racing outfit confirmed the remainder of its driver line-up for the 2022 season.

Four-time champion Turkington and BTCC race winner Jelley will partner WSR new boy Jake Hill, who joins the BMW squad for 2022 under the MB Motorsport powered by ROKiT banner.

Turkington has finished runner-up to triple champion Ash Sutton during the past two seasons, while Jelley finished 12th in last year's drivers' standings on his return to the WSR fold.

Looking ahead to a landmark season for the series, Turkington believes the onset of the new BTCC hybrid era will act effectively as a reset as the grid gets to grips with the new technology.

The 39-year old, who is about to embark on his 16th campaign in WSR colours, is chasing a record breaking fifth BTCC drivers' crown, which would move him clear of fellow four-time champion Andy Rouse. 

“I’m very happy to be back with Team BMW for the new season," said the four-time champion.

"I’m extremely proud to represent BMW - the greatest manufacturer in touring car history across the world - and to do it with WSR, a team that I made my BTCC debut with 20 years ago and have won all my titles with.

"Of course winning the championship is the aim, as it always is, but the move to Hybrid technology is going to add an extra challenge. Because of the change in technology and weight, it’s going to be like starting with an all-new car for everyone on the grid, so being able to keep calm, maximise every points opportunity, stay reliable and race well will be more important than ever before.

"It has the potential to create overtaking opportunities that previously didn’t exist and gives us all the chance to race more sustainably - which is something that’s very important to me.”

Having scored two podium finishes last season, Jelley will be looking to add to his victory tally in 2022.

“I didn't look at moving in any way, shape, or form, this winter. We had a good year in 2021 and while it would have been nice to pick up a win, the overall performance was strong," said Jelley.

"I’m looking forward to working with WSR, BMW and Colin again, and also with Jake - who’s a good chap and a hard racer - coming in, I think we’ll all be very fast and competitive.

"My engineer Andy [Miller] has experience from Formula E that should help us hit the ground running with the Hybrid system too. In a season where there’ll be so many unknowns, having that experience, allied to WSR’s preparation and BMW’s reliability, is going to be very important.”