BTCC Sunday Review: JOSH COOK MAKES THRUXTON HISTORY
Josh Cook made history this past weekend (May 28/29) as he became the Undisputed King of Thruxton, claiming a commanding pair of wins to become the most successful BTCC driver around the fastest circuit in the UK.
After charging to pole position on Saturday, the Rich Energy BTC Racing reigned supreme on race day as he scored his eighth and ninth wins in Hampshire.
Cook secured his place in the Thruxton history books as he charged to victory in race one. Briefly losing the lead to Hill off the line, the Honda ace fought back through the Complex to reclaim first place and then began to pull clear.
Hill mounted a challenge in the latter stages however he was unable to make a move on the #66 Type R, with Cook keeping him at arms reach all the way to the chequered flag. Reigning champion Ash Sutton rounded out the podium after producing a brilliant defensive drive.
A frenetic opening lap saw the pack tighten as they streamed around the back of the circuit with Sutton and Colin Turkington making contact. Both champions got away relatively unscathed however Dan Cammish and Tom Ingram found themselves in strife, taking to the grass.
Race two proved to be a carbon copy of race one as Cook continued to reign supreme, chalking up a second win of the day. As was the case in the opening bout, the 30-year-old briefly lost the lead to Hill at the start but produced a sensational move at the Complex to regain control at the front.
Maintaining a steady gap to the rear-wheel-drive machine, Cook charged to his ninth win of the year at Thruxton whilst Hill and Sutton filled the remaining spots on the rostrum.
Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport’s Morgan signed off the weekend in style with a commanding victory in the reverse grid encounter. Starting from the outside of the front row, the BMW driver jumped pole sitter Jason Plato off the line and never looked back.
Despite having Turkington and Sutton fill his mirrors throughout, Morgan didn’t put a wheel wrong to claim his first win of the season. Turkington and Sutton battled until the final corner but remained second and third respectively to the line.
Josh Cook said: “I’m really pleased I managed to bring it home for another double race win, mega proud of the team. We needed solid points and we’ve had a great haul this weekend and at Brands Hatch, so that’s another box ticked. But as quickly as you can be propelled to the top, it can go the other way. For us, it’s a case of making hay while the sun shines and then on the bad weekends just making sure we dig deep and score some decent points. All we can do is concentrate on the job in hand, make sure we get the car in that sweet spot, that I’m doing everything that I can do without any mistakes, extract what we can from the car and see where we end up.”
Adam Morgan said: “We really struggled yesterday, we just didn’t have the pace in the car for qualifying, but we’ve turned it around and we’re at the top spot. We really worked at it, threw something at the car today, got in the car for race one and it was like a different car altogether. It’s a mega day for everyone, this is one that I won’t forget. There’s no reason this car can’t keep up with everybody else and be at the front. I say it every year, but I’ve got a really positive feeling about this year and having George [Gamble] on board has really helped that as well. So, we’re looking forward to it, we’re looking forward to the fight.”
support championships
Full-throttle entertainment carried over to the TOCA support bill as a number of championships starred on Sunday.
Josh Rowledge and Ian Aguilera enjoyed a share of the spoils in the Michelin Ginetta Junior Championship whilst Harley Haughton closed out what was a spectacular weekend for the Protyre Motorsport Ginetta GT5 Challenge with victory.
Slip-streaming was in full force in the ROKiT F4 British Championship certified by FIA as it brought the curtain down on its third event of the season. Aiden Neate was victorious in Sunday’s first bout before Alex Dunne reigned supreme in the reverse grid encounter.
Rounding out the weekend’s action was a third action-packed bout from the Quaife MINI CHALLENGE Trophy, which was won by Nelson King and race two from the Porsche Visit Cayman Islands Sprint Challenge GB saw Harry Foster make it a clean sweep of victories.
btcc returns to thruxton in august
Thruxton will have a second bite of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship cherry this summer, when the series returns to Hampshire on August 27/28 for Rounds 22, 23 & 24 of the 2022 season.
