BTCC Thruxton: Cook takes record ninth Thruxton win

Cook didn’t get away brilliantly from pole in his BTC Racing Honda Civic Type R – the West Surrey Racing-run BMW 330e M Sport of Hill got in front, and Ash Sutton squeezed his Motorbase Performance Ford Focus down the inside at Allard.

Cook held Sutton at bay at the Complex, and then pulled off a peach of a move on Hill around the outside into the chicane at the end of the first lap to move in front.

As in race one, Cook immediately built a gap on Hill, but again as in race one, Hill began eroding the advantage and was in the Honda’s wheeltracks by half-distance.

But Cook, who set fastest lap for good measure on the way to stretching his Thruxton wins record to nine, once more had the legs of the BMW, and was 0.487 seconds in front at the chequered flag.

“I messed up the start really badly, and I needed to try and recover from that,” said Cook.

“There was a sniff of an opportunity, and I thought I’d give it a pop, and he gave me enough room.

“I saved my hybrid for the last six or so laps, but then I heard on the radio that Jake had done the same!”

Josh Cook, Rich Energy BTC Racing Honda Civic Type R

Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images

Sutton stayed in third position throughout, with Colin Turkington likewise shadowing the Ford all the way in the second of the WSR BMWs.

Dan Rowbottom was fifth all the way through the race in his Team Dynamics Honda, but came under steady pressure from the Ciceley Motorsport BMW of Adam Morgan, who completed the top six.

Stephen Jelley (WSR BMW) and Rory Butcher (Speedworks Motorsport Toyota Corolla) had a bit of argy-bargy at the Complex on lap four while battling for seventh, and this allowed the Excelr8 Motorsport Hyundai i30 N of Dan Lloyd and Jason Plato’s BTC Honda ahead.

Plato passed