Turkington takes two podiums and claims third in BTCC Drivers' Championship In front of a bumper crowd of 33,000 people, Team RAC's Colin Turkington claimed two second place finishes taking third overall in the 2006 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship Drivers' Championship. Only one point separated Colin from second placed driver Jason Plato whilst Matt Neal made it back-to-back Championship titles.

Rob Collard improved his position to finish the Drivers' Championship in ninth place overall and fourth in the Independents Trophy.

Race 1

Having qualified second on the grid for the opening race, Colin Turkington got a good getaway to retain his position challenging race leader Gareth Howell early on. As the race progressed Colin, who was carrying an additional 27kgs of weight, was unable to keep pace with race leader and focused his attention on keeping third placed man Tom Chilton behind him. A few nudges from the Vauxhall driver was not enough to put Colin off his stride with the Northern Irishman eventually taking second place and closing the gap in Championship to just five points between himself and Jason Plato.

On claiming second place, Colin said: "It was a good race and I'm pleased with the second place. I struggled a bit with straight-line speed but we have a good chassis, so I'm unable to pick up time in the corners. My aim this weekend was to get the second place back in the Championship and it was good to pick up some points."

Starting further down the grid in tenth, Rob Collard enjoyed a mid-field battle with Jason Plato and Mike Jordan to take the chequered flag in tenth. Keen to help his team-mate, Rob put the pressure on the SEAT driver but was conscious of keeping it clean. Rob said: "It's really comes down to a team game today and I want to assist Colin is getting the runner-up spot in the Championship. I really wanted to have a go at Plato and get passed him but after the incident earlier in the season at Brands Hatch I was also mindful of avoiding any contact."

Race 2

The second race of the day was full of action with both of the Team RAC cars on the receiving end of damage. Firstly, Colin Turkington was forced to retire after receiving a substantial knock to the rear when challenging for first place. Colin explained: "We got a lot of damage to car. I got a big hit from behind, ran through the gravel and I lost the engine when the front splitter folded underneath."

Rob Collard was also forced to make a pit stop to remove a damaged rear bumper following contact from SEAT's Jason Plato. Rob said: "I got a really good start and was chasing down Howell and then Plato hooked on the back of me and spun me around. He later retired with damaged steering which I can only assume was the result of the contact."

However, in a twist of fate in Colin's favour, a racing incident on lap three caused Thompson, Plato, Chilton and Jordan to retire with the race eventually being red flagged to attend to the injured Jordan. The Team RAC mechanics pulled off the un-imaginable to repair Colin's car in time for it to join the back of the field for the 14-lap race restart and claimed an 11th place finish. He added: "The guys did a great job in getting the car back out on the circuit and finishing in 11th is better than not finishing at all."

Rob restarted the race on the last row of the grid and drove solidly taking fifth overall. On the restart Rob added: "Again I got a good start and managed to get through a few of the back markers quite quickly. I'm pleased with the fifth place finish and hopefully the reverse grid will work in my favour."

Race 3

Starting from 19th on the grid Colin got a great start and by the end of lap one had already moved up to ninth place. Continuing his outstanding charge he'd made it to second by the end of lap eight where he remained until the end of the race. A delighted Colin got out of the car commenting: "I had a glint in my eye before I went out for that race as I knew the car was going to be strong. It wasn't going to be easy and I had a tough task ahead, but I still thought I could get something out of it. I didn't quite have the pace of Gareth but to get on the podium again for Team RAC is fantastic."

Despite a fantastic drive it wasn't quite enough to regain his second place in the Drivers' Championship from SEAT Sports Jason Plato. Colin added: "I did as much as I could and I'm happy with third."

From his fifth place grid slot, Rob got a great getaway and was placed nicely behind race leader and fellow bio-fuel driver Paul O'Neill. Looking comfortable for a podium finish Rob was sent into slide by Team Halfords' Gareth Howell. Rob explained: "I was sure of gaining a podium from that race and I was on course to achieve it and finish my season with Team RAC on a high. I got hit by Gareth and recovered as best as I could. Once again I've been on the receiving end of some unacceptable driving standards and it's disappointing to say the least."

Summarising on the day's racing as the season comes to an end, Dick Bennetts, team principal said: "We've got two podiums today and Colin had a storming drive in the final race. The car has been very reliable once again although it's a shame that we've been on the receiving end of some aggressive driving once again. Rob was running well in both the second and third races before being punted off the circuit. We've once again shown the potential for bio-fuel and I have to say a huge thank you to RAC for their support this season. I'm very much looking forward to next season."

Having completed their first season of touring cars Shaun Meadows, RAC marketing director, added: "We're over the moon with the team's performance this year and particularly proud of the podiums we've achieved since the switch to bio-fuel. Congratulations to Rob and also to Colin for achieving third place in the Championship. It's been a great team effort."