BTCC Round Five – Cook secures double win despite multiple challenges

Josh Cook secured his second win of the day in Round Five of the British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch.

It’s the first double win of the season as he held off charges from Jake Hill and then Dan Cammish to take the chequered flag.

The start saw the BMW pair of Hill and Colin Tarkington shoot off the second row of the grid to pressurise Cook.

Tom Ingram started falling down the order with Gordon Shedden, Tarkington and Ash Sutton all fighting for position, going three wide down the pit straight.

Hill was the one taking the fight to Cook up front. The BMW man was using his rear wheel drive speed to fight Cook’s front wheel drive Honda. But the Civic driver is an expert in defensive driving.

While one BMW was excelling, Tarkington in the other was falling down the order and couldn’t cope with the front wheel drive cars behind him.

As the leading pair fought, Cammish in his Ford Focus was closing in on the pair. Making it a three way fight for the win.

On the penultimate lap Hill went for a move at the Druids hairpin. But he lost the rear end and spun his BMW, letting in Cammish who took the fight to Cook for the final lap and a half.

Cook held off Cammish for another win, with Cammish and Rory Butcher finished third in his Toyota. Ash Sutton was fourth in the second Ford Focus while championship leader Tom Ingram finished fifth.

Gordon Shedden was sixth while Hill recovered to finish seventh after a spin. Dan Lloyd was eighth with George Gamble ninth and Turkington rounded off the top ten.