Championship leader Colin Turkington on complex conditions, unpredictability and optimism; as the winner of the most coveted prize in Britain’s premier motor racing series is to be decided this weekend, during the final event of the 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship.

“I drank a lot of coffee at Silverstone! We’ve been through every scenario on the track in terms of tyres. Dries on a dry track, wets on a wet track, dries on a wet track, wets on a drying track… The list goes on. We were fast all weekend. It’s been the most challenging weekend of the season to-date and we came out in good shape. I didn’t give up after race one and I fought back and scored good points. I’m pleased with my performance and I feel like I’m leaving in a good place.

“The key is going to Brands with a chance and that’s the position I’m in. You only have to watch one race day to see how unpredictable the BTCC is. You scrap as hard for second as you do for 20^th. It’s positive that I go with some points tucked away and we need to be on the case at Brands. We’ll make sure we enjoy it too. Brands is the last step. The big job is getting there in the right place. I look forward to the challenge.

“It’s a completely different race weekend to any other. The focus on the drivers is huge and there’s a lot at stake. I know how to approach it. You learn year-by-year. The first title is the hardest to get over the line. It doesn’t get any easier but you’ve a greater bank of knowledge to rely on and you bat away the negative thoughts a bit easier.”