Can you explain the greatest difference between driving these Cortina Mk1s and your WSR BMW BTCC car?
The biggest difference is the tyre. With modern touring cars we run a slick tyre. Whereas the classics run the cross-ply tyre. So that means there’s a lot more sliding, drifting and car control. It’s a really fantastic way to drive. But when the helmet goes on and you're in the driving seat, you're still trying to extract 100% from the car and yourself. The mental processes are exactly the same. Always trying to achieve the fastest lap time you possibly can. So it's a great drill before my bread and butter next weekend. I'm really looking forward to it, and also watching more of the other action this weekend.
You’re commemorating a fellow saloon car great in Jim Clark. How confident would you be coming up against him this weekend?
I've already lost! He was obviously a Cortina specialist, which I can't claim to be, but I would be more than happy to come a close second to Jim.
How important is it to honour people like Jim Clark here at Goodwood? Do you have much time to think about them throughout the weekend?
Those are the icons and legends of our sport. Particularly for me, Jim Clark’s record in touring cars is incredible. So when you're filling out your entry form, and you see you're in the Jim Clark Trophy, it's a special thing. It's special just to be invited to race at Goodwood, and to be able to honour these people. It's fantastic that their name and their memory lives on and that we're able to celebrate them and that heritage, particularly here in the UK.
Thanks for your time Colin, and Good luck for the weekend!
No problem, thank you. I might need it…
And with that disarmingly humble sign off, the quiet Northern Irishman walks off towards the assembly area to catch a glimpse of the latest batch of cars to head out on track. Baseball cap on, he melts into the crowd. Seeking to enjoy his passion for motorsport before the pressure ramps up at Rounds 1, 2 and 3 at Donington Park next weekend.
What really strikes us the most about our brief chat is how Colin’s polite, unassuming, modest mannerisms, paired with exceptional talent and race craft, echo the spirit of the man he is here to remember. If ever there was a modern version of Jim Clark racing saloons, Mr Colin Turkington is surely as close as you can get…
Goodwood photography Joe Harding and Jochen van Cawenberge. Other images courtesy of Motorsport Images.