The news that Colin Turkington would be leaving Team BMR shook the British Touring Car Championship world at Autosport International last weekend, and everybody had their thoughts on what had happened, and what Turkington would do next.
Overtake Motorsport spoke to some drivers who attended the show, to see what they made of the news.
One of the likely scenarios for the future is that Turkington will move back to West Surrey Racing, though he’s yet to confirm any seat for 2017. Honda’s Gordon Shedden is sure Turkington won’t have a problem finding a seat, though.
“[Turkington leaving the team] looked like it was on the radar for a while, but I think it’ll be a loss for Subaru,” he said. “But I’m sure we’ll see Colin back in a BMW and fighting at the front.”
Once the Subarus began to perform as expected in the fourth round of the championship, Turkington became a strong challenger for the title. His talent will almost definitely be a loss for BMR but, as Matt Neal speculated, it could have been the cause of the decision too.
“I do know Jason [Plato] doesn’t take being second best,” Neal said, when asked his opinion on what had gone on. “It was never going to go down well. Because Colin in a rear wheel drive – I wouldn’t like to go against him. He’s a class act. So there was always going to be an upset there. It was always going to happen.”
Of course, any speculation of a falling out at BMR is just that: speculation. Ashley Sutton, who is one of the contenders for the seat, reminded us that nobody knows what happens behind closed doors.
“It’s a shame to see him leave BMR,” Sutton said. “Having that involvement with them, I got to work with Colin so it’s good for that.
“I don’t know the reasons [for Turkington leaving]. I think the best thing to do is to not read it from what it looks like. There’s always a true story behind closed doors that no one really knows, so it’s best not to make those judgements.”
What happened at BMR is still not known, but Turkington told Overtake Motorsport in an interview that his relationship with the team is still healthy.
Image credit: Caroline Rhea
