Team RAC's Colin Turkington (Portadown) heads for the North of England this weekend for the next round of the 2006 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship. After securing two podiums on home soil at Mondello Park, Colin is leading the Independents Trophy and lies second in the overall Drivers' Championship. Meanwhile, Team RAC Rob Collard will be looking to move on from his troublesome outing in the Emerald Isle.

Having made his BTCC debut at Oulton Park back in 2002 with MG's junior team Atomic Kitten, Colin Turkington is looking forward to heading back to the Cheshire circuit. Colin's MG ZS will be carrying 36kgs of success ballast for the free practice sessions, qualifying and the opening race. Whilst this didn't prove too much of a hindrance in Ireland, Oulton Park provides a technical challenge with is sweeping corners and fast straights. Looking for a good qualifying position Colin said: "I'm really looking forward to Oulton and can't wait to get back into the car. The car's been running strongly so far this season and the recent test at Pembrey allowed us to try some new developments, which felt really good. I feel we're making steps forward all the time."

Rob Collard (Everseley) is pleased to put the disappointment of Mondello Park behind him and looks favourably to the next race to put him back in contention for the BTCC title race. Driving the lighter of the two Team RAC MG ZS' he'll be looking to make the most of the weight advantage during qualifying on Saturday. He said: "I very much like Oulton as a circuit as it's very challenging with high speed corners, particularly Druids. It's a fun track to drive and I've had some good results here in the past. There is always great support for the BTCC at Oulton and I'm looking forward to getting back onto the podium."

After a recent testing session with the WSR designed and built MG ZS, Dick Bennetts, Team RAC principal is quietly confident heading into the third round of the championship. He said: "So far this season we've enjoyed some good podium finishes, but it would be excellent to secure the first win of the season. The recent test went well (the first in two years!) and we'll be applying that knowledge this weekend at Oulton Park and I'm confident we'll be on the pace."