In 2006, Colin Turkington returns to the team at which he made his BTCC debut, scored his first race win and spent three years before being snapped up by the works Vauxhall outfit last year.

The 24 year-old driver from Northern Ireland will be hoping that a return to familiar territories will help him to recapture the impressive form that made him a target for Vauxhall. Despite starting strongly and taking pole position for the opening race of the season, Turkington struggled to match former-champion teammate Yvan Muller for much of the year, but did take two race wins.

“I’m glad to be back with West Surrey”, said Colin at the 2006 season media launch at Brands Hatch. “It’s a team I know and a car I know. I’m looking forward to it. We’ve had a good day. This is the first day we’ve run the car so we’re just testing loads of new bits, so we’ve learnt plenty and got a bit of direction. It’s grand.”

The afternoon test session at Brands Hatch provided Colin with his first opportunity to get behind the wheel of what is a revised MG since he last raced it back in 2004. Asked whether his late confirmation alongside Rob Collard at Team RAC will prove a hindrance, Colin commented: “It is and it isn’t You can always do with more time on the track, but we pretty much know the chassis and what it’s capable of. You can always do more work, and we’re working on new bits now. The more time in the car, the better.”

Turkington’s afternoon was spent mainly trialling development parts for the MG ZS. It is a car whose potential Team RAC boss Dick Bennetts has often outlined, and safe in the knowledge that the whole season’s budget is in place, the West Surrey Racing crew have been working hard in recent months.

“It’s still early days”, said Turkington. “I still haven’t got the full 2006 spec on the car, but they’ve done a lot of work in the engine department and also on the suspension. There is definitely more to come.”

A proven racewinner in the hands of both Turkington and his teammate Rob Collard, the MG ZS will face some stiff competition when it lines up on the grid for the first race of the year at Brands Hatch. Despite his young age, Turkington has shown much maturity during his four seasons in the BTCC, and he will need to draw on every drop of his experience if he is to challenge the like of reigning champion Matt Neal, and experienced race Fabrizio Giovanardi.

So is a championship challenge on the cards?

“We just need to consistently score points. That’s what it’s all about. We’ll try and get the car to the front of the grid.”

“There’s definitely a strong field. It’s a very strong top ten, and it’s going to be a very competitive year. We just need to take our chances and just try and get as much out of the car as we can.”

While he may not have been willing to overstate his ambitions for the season, Turkington’s target for the first round at the beginning of April gives some idea of what he is hoping for. Asked what would be a good result, his reply was simple: “First.”