Kwik Fit BTCC Thruxton 28th August 2022
FORDS FEAST AT THRUXTON AS COOK SERVES UP RACE THREE
The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship paid its second visit of the 2022 season to the sweeping Thruxton circuit over the August bank holiday weekend for rounds 22, 23 and 24. Scoring his first pole position in a Ford Focus, Dan Cammish headed current Thruxton maestro Josh Cook by 0.017 seconds. Championship hopefuls Jake Hill and Ashley Sutton made up the second row whilst series leader Colin Turkington languished in 15th, two spots behind closest title rival Tom Ingram. Cammish held the lead at the start of race one whilst Cook came under fire from Sutton, Hill and Gordon Shedden at the Complex. Neither Cook nor Sutton were willing to give in at Seagrave, the resulting contact sending Cook sideways and plummeting down the order. Shedden took advantage of Sutton’s loss of momentum to move ahead and the pair settled into second and third places behind Cammish, who had been gifted a big lead by the skirmishes. The Ford man managed the gap over the remainder of the 16 laps to take his first win for Napa Racing, Shedden came home in second from Sutton and Hill. Championship chasers Ingram and Turkington scored with ninth and tenth place finishes, as Cook salvaged three points for thirteenth but had eyes for so much more. Cammish again converted pole into the race lead at the start of race two, whilst a great launch from teammate Sutton got him alongside Shedden for second before making the place his own at the Complex. Just behind, Rory Butcher had a run at Jake Hill for fourth but Hill bravely held on around the outside of Noble. Sutton started to pressurise Cammish for the lead on lap two, setting the fastest lap in the process, but Cammish clung on and soon stretched out a small margin until, on lap 13, he was instructed to cede the win to title contender Sutton, pulling aside at Allard. Shedden took his second podium finish of the day with third and Cook regained more of his lost race one positions with eighth. An all-WSR BMW front row formed up for race three, Stephen Jelley and Turkington benefitting from the reversed grid draw which saw ball number 11 drawn, Michael Crees and Cook made up the second row with Cook looking to grab a top result after his race one contact. The two BMs led the way off the line but Cook was in determined mood, outdragging Crees when the lights went out before usurping Turkington for second at Village and then taking a good look at Jelley’s lead into the Club Chicane. Cook made the move stick next time around and set off towards his third victory at the circuit this year. Turkington soon passed his teammate Jelley for second, which is how they finished. Jelley was reeled in by the squabbling pair of Rory Butcher and Sutton in the closing laps but held on, Sutton having charged through from eleventh on the grid. Turkington now leads the points table by six points from Sutton as the championship heads to Silverstone for rounds 25, 26 and 27 on the 24th/25th September.
Report written for EDP Photo News.
The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship paid its second visit of the 2022 season to the sweeping Thruxton circuit over the August bank holiday weekend for rounds 22, 23 and 24. Scoring his first pole position in a Ford Focus, Dan Cammish headed current Thruxton maestro Josh Cook by 0.017 seconds. Championship hopefuls Jake Hill and Ashley Sutton made up the second row whilst series leader Colin Turkington languished in 15th, two spots behind closest title rival Tom Ingram. Cammish held the lead at the start of race one whilst Cook came under fire from Sutton, Hill and Gordon Shedden at the Complex. Neither Cook nor Sutton were willing to give in at Seagrave, the resulting contact sending Cook sideways and plummeting down the order. Shedden took advantage of Sutton’s loss of momentum to move ahead and the pair settled into second and third places behind Cammish, who had been gifted a big lead by the skirmishes. The Ford man managed the gap over the remainder of the 16 laps to take his first win for Napa Racing, Shedden came home in second from Sutton and Hill. Championship chasers Ingram and Turkington scored with ninth and tenth place finishes, as Cook salvaged three points for thirteenth but had eyes for so much more. Cammish again converted pole into the race lead at the start of race two, whilst a great launch from teammate Sutton got him alongside Shedden for second before making the place his own at the Complex. Just behind, Rory Butcher had a run at Jake Hill for fourth but Hill bravely held on around the outside of Noble. Sutton started to pressurise Cammish for the lead on lap two, setting the fastest lap in the process, but Cammish clung on and soon stretched out a small margin until, on lap 13, he was instructed to cede the win to title contender Sutton, pulling aside at Allard. Shedden took his second podium finish of the day with third and Cook regained more of his lost race one positions with eighth. An all-WSR BMW front row formed up for race three, Stephen Jelley and Turkington benefitting from the reversed grid draw which saw ball number 11 drawn, Michael Crees and Cook made up the second row with Cook looking to grab a top result after his race one contact. The two BMs led the way off the line but Cook was in determined mood, outdragging Crees when the lights went out before usurping Turkington for second at Village and then taking a good look at Jelley’s lead into the Club Chicane. Cook made the move stick next time around and set off towards his third victory at the circuit this year. Turkington soon passed his teammate Jelley for second, which is how they finished. Jelley was reeled in by the squabbling pair of Rory Butcher and Sutton in the closing laps but held on, Sutton having charged through from eleventh on the grid. Turkington now leads the points table by six points from Sutton as the championship heads to Silverstone for rounds 25, 26 and 27 on the 24th/25th September.
Report written for EDP Photo News.
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