Colin Turkington and West Surrey Racing will return to the World Touring Car Championship for the final two rounds of the season at Okayama and Macau.
Having been left without a full-time drive for 2010 due to a lack of funding, Turkington, the 2009 British Touring Car champion, raced at the Portimao, Brands Hatch and Brno rounds of the championship earlier this year in a BMW 320si backed by eBay Motors. He scored two podium finishes at Brands Hatch, along with a second place in Brno.
The Northern Irishman will now race the car in Japan and Macau thanks to support from insurance giant Aviva. His BMW will be liveried in the yellow branding of the company and entered under the Aviva-Cofco banner, in deference to the Chinese arm of the insurance firm. Turkington and WSR raced at Macau in 2007 with sponsorship from Aviva, finishing 14th and 8th in the two races, despite carrying additional ballast.
Turkington is pleased to have another chance to race in the WTCC. “I'm excited to be getting back behind the wheel of the BMW, as it's been three months since I last raced,” he commented. “Also, it is great to be working with Aviva again, after a successful trip there in 2007. I hope to be able to repeat my successes from earlier this year.”
WSR Team Principal Dick Bennetts said: “We are delighted to be able to work with Aviva to deliver their brand to the millions of people in Japan and China especially, due to the very good TV package from Eurosport and local terrestrial TV stations. China is a very important market for Aviva-Cofco, so as always, we will work with Aviva as our partner to give them maximum exposure.”
Simon Machell, Chief Executive of Aviva Asia Pacific, added: “We are delighted to announce that Aviva is sponsoring WSR and Colin Turkington in the World Touring Car Championship events in Okayama and Macau. The WTCC is a compelling event that exudes the passion, commitment and camaraderie that sits at the very heart of our business. It also provides us with a unique and powerful platform with which to increase our brand awareness and interact with our valued customers and partners as one unified brand. We wish the WSR team and Colin all the very best of luck and look forward to two exciting races.”
Photo credit: Vince Pettit Photography
