Following a strong performance from Team RAC at the opening round of the 2006 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch, the team now cross the Irish Sea to Mondello Park – bringing with it a bit of orange to the Emerald Isle.

Leading the Independents Trophy and lying second in the overall Driver’s Championship, Colin Turkington (Portadown) will be looking to continue his run of good form in front of his home crowd. Traditionally Colin has been strong on his home turf with wins in both 2004 and 2005. Registering his second ever BTCC win in the MG ZS at Mondello in 2004 and recording it as one of his career highlights, Colin talks about repeating this performance for a third year running. He said: "Going on past races at Mondello and my current good form I feel in good shape just as long as we can find the perfect set-up for qualifying and be on-top of the car early on. Although it is my home race I’ll be treating it just like any other, as it’s the points on offer that really matter. The 36kgs of success ballast (carried due to his 2nd place in the Championship) shouldn’t be too much of a problem now that we’ve got that extra bit of performance from the engine."

Teammate Rob Collard struggled with the set-up of his car during the opening meeting but work behind the scenes promises to improve his performance on the narrow, winding Co. Kildare circuit. Last year Rob received the Will Hoy Memorial Trophy for his impressive performance in race 3, an accolade that has never previously been received by an Englishman. Looking to add to his 2006 points tally Rob said: "To be honest Mondello is not one of my favoured circuits but this is more than made up for by the Irish crowd, who are just fantastic. The MG has always been strong here and if the set-up comes good, then I’ll be aiming straight for the podium."

With the improved performance from the WSR designed and built MG ZS, Dick Bennetts, team principal Team RAC is confident of carrying over the momentum to Ireland. He said: "Mondello is a circuit which suits the handling of our car and we’re realistically aiming for podium positions this weekend. There’s a quiet air of confidence amongst the team and its all credit to the long hours spent developing what some may consider a car passed it’s potential. I think we surprised a few people at Brands Hatch and proved what a competitive package Team RAC have put together."

Shaun Meadows, RAC marketing director said: "It was a great start for Team RAC at Brands Hatch and with Colin on his home turf at Mondello this round promises to be another thriller for the team."

During the pit-lane walkabout on Sunday (12:15-12:55hrs) there will be plenty of Team RAC goodies on offer, including Colin Turkington beanie hats, as well as getting your chance to meet Colin and Rob.