BTCC Donington Park: Josh Cook fastest in damp practice sessions
Power Maxed Racing's Josh Cook set the fastest time across the opening two free practice sessions ahead of the second BTCC round of the year at Donington Park

Both the 40-minute timed sessions were held in damp conditions, with the circuit only
drying slightly over the closing moments.
The 26-year-old eclipsed the factory Honda Civic Type R of Dan Cammish midway through the second period to record a lap of 1m19.863s.
"We still need to get faster, [as] everyone else will," said Cook.
"I never even look at the timesheets during qualifying, it is all about getting the balance of the car right and we still have a way to go to make it perfect.
"We also don't know what the weather is going to do [for qualifying this afternoon]. It is a muddled picture at the minute."
Behind Cammish, Chris Smiley took the third-best time in his BTC Norlin Honda Civic, while
Andrew Jordan's time from the opening period meant his WSR BMW 125i M Sport was
enough to put him fourth in the combined standings.
The 2013 title winner was forced to sit out the second period of the second session
when a turbo pipe failure was suspected on his German car and he drove his smoky car into the garage.

Also setting his fastest time in session one was reigning champion Ash Sutton, who recorded a 1m20.415s lap in the Team BMR Subaru Levorg to place fifth in the combined times.
However, he too was stuck by dramas in the second session when a suspected engine
problem meant he only recorded nine laps.
The combined top six was rounded out by the Eurotech Racing Honda Civic Type R of Brett Smith, who had a couple of small offs in the second session.
The second factory Honda of Matt Neal was in the wars, missing most of the second session following damage sustained after the three-time champion went off.
Jason Plato's Subaru Levorg also lost out on some running as it ground to a halt at the end of the pitlane. Plato returned to the action for the closing minutes.
The only red flag of the morning's running came in free practice two when Tom Chilton's
Motorbase Performance Ford Focus stopped at Schwantz Curve following an ECU
problem.
He managed to return to the pits and continue once the system had been reset.
FP1 results
Pos | Driver | Team | Car | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Dan Cammish | Team Dynamics | Honda | 1m19.925s |
2 | Josh Cook | Power Maxed Racing | Vauxhall | 0.027s |
3 | Andrew Jordan | WSR | BMW | 0.432s |
4 | Ash Sutton | Team BMR | Subaru | 0.490s |
5 | Brett Smith | Eurotech Racing | Honda | 0.554s |
6 | Aiden Moffat | Laser Tools Racing | Mercedes | 0.576s |
7 | James Cole | Motorbase | Ford | 0.609s |
8 | Rory Butcher | AmD Tuning | MG | 0.704s |
9 | Jack Goff | Eurotech Racing | Honda | 0.823s |
10 | Adam Morgan | Ciceley Motorsport | Mercedes | 0.843s |
11 | Tom Chilton | Motorbase | Ford | 0.895s |
12 | Matt Simpson | Eurotech Racing | Honda | 0.908s |
13 | Tom Oliphant | Ciceley Motorsport | Mercedes | 0.923s |
14 | James Nash | BTC Norlin | Honda | 1.121s |
15 | Matt Neal | Team Dynamics | Honda | 1.191s |
16 | Chris Smiley | BTC Norlin | Honda | 1.202s |
17 | Tom Ingram | Speedworks | Toyota | 1.203s |
18 | Colin Turkington | WSR | BMW | 1.457s |
19 | Senna Proctor | Power Maxed Racing | Vauxhall | 1.549s |
20 | Sam Tordoff | Motorbase | Ford | 1.643s |
21 | Rob Austin | HMS Racing | Alfa Romeo | 1.677s |
22 | Tom Boardman | AmD Tuning | MG | 1.688s |
23 | Ollie Jackson | AmD Tuning | Audi | 1.762s |
24 | Mike Bushell | Team Hard | Volkswagen | 1.785s |
25 | Josh Price | Team BMR | Subaru | 1.976s |
26 | Stephen Jelley | Team Parker Racing | BMW | 2.294s |
27 | Sam Smelt | AmD Tuning | Audi | 2.589s |
28 | Rob Collard | WSR | BMW | 2.925s |
29 | Jason Plato | Team BMR | Subaru | 3.004s |
30 | Bobby Thompson | Team Hard | Volkswagen | 6.645s |
31 | Michael Caine | Team Hard | Volkswagen | - |
32 | Jake Hill | Team Hard | Volkswagen | - |
FP2 results
Pos | Driver | Team | Car | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Josh Cook | Power Maxed Racing | Vauxhall | 1m19.863s |
2 | Dan Cammish | Team Dynamics | Honda | 0.379s |
3 | Chris Smiley | BTC Norlin | Honda | 0.463s |
4 | Aiden Moffat | Laser Tools Racing | Mercedes | 0.871s |
5 | Sam Tordoff | Motorbase | Ford | 1.067s |
6 | Rory Butcher | AmD Tuning | MG | 1.085s |
7 | Tom Chilton | Motorbase | Ford | 1.100s |
8 | Tom Ingram | Speedworks | Toyota | 1.102s |
9 | Tom Oliphant | Ciceley Motorsport | Mercedes | 1.109s |
10 | Adam Morgan | Ciceley Motorsport | Mercedes | 1.114s |
11 | Matt Simpson | Eurotech Racing | Honda | 1.126s |
12 | Ash Sutton | Team BMR | Subaru | 1.153s |
13 | Senna Proctor | Power Maxed Racing | Vauxhall | 1.252s |
14 | James Nash | BTC Norlin | Honda | 1.335s |
15 | Jack Goff | Eurotech Racing | Honda | 1.364s |
16 | Ollie Jackson | AmD Tuning | Audi | 1.406s |
17 | James Cole | Motorbase | Ford | 1.492s |
18 | Brett Smith | Eurotech Racing | Honda | 1.522s |
19 | Colin Turkington | WSR | BMW | 1.555s |
20 | Rob Austin | HMS Racing | Alfa Romeo | 1.675s |
21 | Andrew Jordan | WSR | BMW | 1.774s |
22 | Josh Price | Team BMR | Subaru | 1.822s |
23 | Stephen Jelley | Team Parker Racing | BMW | 1.838s |
24 | Jake Hill | Team Hard | Volkswagen | 1.865s |
25 | Tom Boardman | AmD Tuning | MG | 1.872s |
26 | Matt Neal | Team Dynamics | Honda | 1.967s |
27 | Mike Bushell | Team Hard | Volkswagen | 2.119s |
28 | Rob Collard | WSR | BMW | 2.228s |
29 | Bobby Thompson | Team Hard | Volkswagen | 2.617s |
30 | Jason Plato | Team BMR | Subaru | 2.643s |
31 | Sam Smelt | AmD Tuning | Audi | 2.993s |
32 | Michael Caine | Team Hard | Volkswagen | 3.378s |

How the BTCC's craziest race was won
BTCC Donington Park: First pole for Vauxhall man Cook in the wet

How the BTCC's new hybrid era aced its first test
Expectations were high for the start of the British Touring Car Championship’s hybrid power era, and despite nerves and problems to solve prior to its debut the new rules gained widespread approval. Here’s how the first test at Donington Park was passed and the thorough examinations that are to follow
The Ford BTCC superteam combining two reigning TOCA champions
Reigning BTCC champion Ash Sutton and Porsche Carrera Cup GB victor Dan Cammish form a potent line-up at the Motorbase-run NAPA Racing team as the series adopts hybrid power. With Sutton bringing the key components of his title-winning Laser Tools Racing set-up, and Cammish eager to prove a point on his return, their dynamic is set to be one of the season's major talking points
The stalwart tin-top boss still shaping careers more than 40 years on
Veteran team manager Marvin Humphries and former Tech-Speed team boss has worked not only with stars of the British Touring Car Championship, but legends including Gil de Ferran, Hans Stuck and Tom Sneva in a long and varied career that has spanned five decades across tin-tops, single-seaters and sportscars
The grassroots rise that shaped an understated BTCC star
Having started out in club-level competitions alongside his own university engineering studies, Josh Cook's journey to becoming an established frontrunner in the British Touring Car Championship is atypical. But it's these experiences that have moulded the 30-year-old into a humble star, respected throughout the paddock
Ranking the top 10 BTCC drivers of 2021
A refresh in equipment and some returning faces helped contribute to a supremely competitive 2021 British Touring Car Championship campaign. Ash Sutton was crowned a three-time champion, successfully defending his 2020 title, but faced stiff competition in the final year before the switch to hybrid. Autosport picks out the best performers
Why the BTCC's ballast increase couldn't stop champion Sutton
Ballast will be gone from the BTCC next year as hybrid power enters the scene, but for its final season the maximum was increased from 60kg to 75kg. Despite having to carry that nearly all season, Ash Sutton was always the favourite to pocket a third title - the 27-year-old getting his reward for a season of speed tempered by savvy to nail his opportunities
The much-loved tin-top superstar bowing out at 59
OPINION: It's not often that a driver achieves widespread affection for their personality, as well as their on-track performances. One such individual is Gabriele Tarquini, who will soon bring the curtain down on a remarkable career that has yielded touring car titles on the European and global stage - and, famously, in Britain too
The making of the BTCC's newest superstar
Ash Sutton is on the verge of being crowned a three-time British Touring Car Champion; he seems to have it all. But life hasn't always been straightforward for this superstar of touring cars, as Marcus Simmons has been finding out