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Colin Turkington predicts battle to the wire for BTCC title

British Touring Car Championship leader Colin Turkington believes the title fight will go to the final round despite the Northern Irishman being able to clinch the crown at Silverstone

The West Surrey Racing driver claimed his seventh and eighth wins of 2014 at Rockingham to move 55 points clear of MG's Jason Plato in the standings.

It is the largest lead a series leader has had since 1997, but Turkington, whose rear-wheel drive BMW 125i M Sport has been the championship's main talking point this year, says he does not think he will clinch the title before the Brands Hatch finale.

"I've been about long enough to know how quickly things can turn," he said. "We're working hard and getting the merits but nobody's ever out of it.

"Silverstone is probably the track that we would see as being a bit more hard work. I can't remember the last time it didn't go to round 30 out of 30 and that's what I'm expecting."

Turkington must outscore Plato by 12 points at Silverstone to put the Triple Eight driver mathematically out of contention before the final three races, but the double champion thinks the title is now a formality.

"We'll be there or thereabouts at Silverstone," said Plato. "We should be on the front row, but the BMW will be really quick there.

"We can't fight them the way it stands, and you may as well give Colin the championship now.

"I want to be clear, I'm not taking anything away from Colin as a driver or WSR as a team; they are operating at fantastically well, but my aim as the season has progressed has been to become the best of the rest.

"There are two championships here; there's a championship for one car and a championship for the rest."

Honda driver Gordon Shedden, 64 points behind Turkington with 67 on offer at each meeting, also retains an outside chance of a second crown despite falling to third in the standings after a difficult Rockingham round.

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