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Josh Cook profits from the first lap drama to win the opening BTCC race of 2021 at Thruxton.
BTC Racing s Josh Cook has won the opening round of the 2021 British Touring Car Championship after taking a convincing victory in race one at Thruxton.
Despite initially dropping to third behind the fast-starting BMW of Colin Turkington off the start-line, Cook s afternoon was immediately made all the more easier after contact between race leader Ash Sutton and Turkington, saw the Honda driver move into the lead at the complex.
Having started the race from pole-position, Sutton saw his hopes of winning the season opener end in abrupt fashion after Turkington tipped the defending champion into a spin. That proved to be the first of a series of incidents on a chaotic opening lap of 2021.
Josh Cook doubles up in crash strewn second Thruxton encounter
1 week ago
Josh Cook wrapped up a second win of the weekend at Thruxton to extend his early lead in the British Touring Car Championship in a race that featured two large accidents elsewhere on the grid.
Cook managed to hold the lead when the lights went out despite the additional weight on his car, but the race was quickly halted after a huge accident at turn one involving Jade Edwards, Glynn Geddie and Andy Neate.
Going into the fast right-hander, Neate tagged the rear of Geddie’s CUPRA and sent it into a spin, with the innocent Edwards being collected as all three cars headed off into the tyres at speed. Geddie’s car would go into the barriers backwards before riding up over the bonnet of Edwards’ Honda, eventually coming to rest upside down.
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Ash Sutton prevails in the changeable conditions to take a magnificent first BTCC win of the year at Thruxton.
Defending British Touring Car champion Ash Sutton has opened his 2021 victory account with a sensational win in the changeable conditions at Thruxton.
Sutton started the race from fourth on the grid but capitalised on the unpredictable conditions to secure his first win of the year ahead of two-time champion Jason Plato in second.
Rain showers which ranged in duration and intensity wreaked havoc during the final race of the day. The vast majority of the field elected to start the race on wet tyres, with the exception of Jake Hill and Tom Oliphant, who both opted to start on slicks.
Ash Sutton wins mixed weather finale
2 weeks ago
Ash Sutton secured victory in wet-dry-wet finale at Thruxton which jumbled up the order in the British Touring Car Championship.
With Andy Neate and Glynn Geddie both missing after the race two accident, there was extra spice added to proceedings when rain started to fall shortly before the start – leaving teams to decide whether to go with wet tyres or gamble with slicks given that part of the circuit was wet, and part was dry.
As it was, half of the grid took the decision to go to wets with half sticking with slicks, with the early laps proving to better suited to those on wets as Stephen Jelley held the lead from Ash Sutton and Colin Turkington – with Tom Oliphant dropping from second down to soon find himself outside the points.
Josh Cooks adds to Thruxton win tally in season opener
1 week ago
Josh Cook maintained his strong record at Thruxton as he powered his way to victory in the opening race of the new BTCC season.
Ash Sutton had made the best start to lead the field up through Allard for the first time from Colin Turkington and Cook, with Cook then trying to reclaim the place from the BMW going into the complex.
Sutton had a slender lead but contact from Turkington turning into the right hander tipped the Infiniti into a spin and dropped the champion to the back of the field, with Cook able to get ahead of Turkington into the lead.