This weekend the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship moves to Oulton Park. Here's Colin Turkington's guide to the perfect lap.
“That was a really tricky lap to nail, purely because of the conditions. The drizzle was falling. Even though it wasn’t full rain, that sometimes makes it harder because there is some grip out there, just not a lot, and you're trying to find the maximum.
“After my first qualifying attempt, I was third. I thought there was plenty of pace left in the car so I was confident of an improvement, and you need that confidence to hustle the car to its maximum. The car is right on the edge because that is the way you get the most out of qualifying, so it is a real challenge.
“We did two warming up laps in the BMW rather than coming in to the pits and swapping front-to-rear tyres, like the front-wheel-drive cars do. That meant I had plenty of time to assess the grip levels before I went for it.
“You’ll see that I caught some traffic straight away before I got to the first turn at Old Hall, but he kept out of the way. Even when cars aren’t on your line, they can sometimes just distract you so you have to try and stay utterly focused.
The lap was going well, I was pleased with the way I took Cascades and was able to feel the grip levels through the seat of my pants. I think the first drama I had was at Britten’s.
"I tried to carry as much speed as possible because you are looking for all kinds of gains, but I hit the kerb too hard and it flicked the car into snap oversteer on the exit. I had already made up time by going in so fast, so that just negated any advantage I had made.
Then over Hilltop and down to Hislop’s chicane, where I tried the same thing. I was very hot in, and it bit me a little on the exit.
"I was able to keep on the track though. After the uphill, the long right-hander at Driuds is one of the best challenges on the track and it can often be wetter there than on any other part of the circuit, because the trees overhang the Tarmac. That is where you have to have your judgement spot on so you don’t throw away all the good work you have done up to that point. I managed to nail it.
Then it is just the right-hander at Lodge and the run to the line. After Lodge I change up early, which is a useful tactic when there isn’t much grip. You want to keep the rear as planted as possible and you don’t need to be higher up in the rev range. So there you are: pole position!”
Colin Turkington was speaking to Matt James, touring car correspondent for Motorsport News.
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