Josh Cook produced a charging performance to claim his first Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship victory of the season at a sunny Oulton Park this afternoon (Sunday).

Race 1 victor Tom Ingram initially made a good start from pole position in his Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS Hyundai from reigning champion Ash Sutton to lead as the pack arrived at Old Hall for the first time. There was drama further back however as Adam Morgan was collected after contact with Tom Chilton and ended up pointing the wrong way.

Morgan’s stranded BMW was able to get going again pretty quickly again however, ensuring the race could continue at full speed. And by the time the leaders reached the hairpin at Island for the first time, it was Cook who was in the ascendancy.

Cook flew around the outside during the heavy braking zone at Island to pass both Dan Cammish and Ash Sutton in their NAPA Racing UK Fords by the time they exited the corner. Ingram too had to concede he wasn’t going to hold back the might of Cook’s pace on the soft tyres, with the Toyota taking a lead it would hold until the end at Lodge at the end of lap one.

With Cook’s launch from eighth to the lead completed within the opening tour of the circuit, that left those behind to scrap for second and below with a train of cars forming behind Ingram. This initially included Sutton, Cammish and the Laser Tools BMW of Jake Hill, along with Aiden Moffat in the sister machine to the lead car. Scotsman Moffat was forced to pull out of contention and return to the pit lane before he had the opportunity to make any further impression on the race in his LKG Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ entry, however.

Sutton and Ingram renewed their battle from the earlier race with a fierce fight for second on the third lap, with the pair battling side by side down The Avenue and into Cascades. Ingram defended hard to maintain the place however whilst Hill began to apply pressure to Cammish just behind.

The group of cars then began to settle through the middle part of the race as Cook streaked off ahead, before the next major drama came on lap nine. Chilton retired amidst a cloud of smoke from the mid pack whilst Sutton was shown the black and orange flag for loose bodywork flapping above his right rear wheel arch. This effectively removed Sutton from the hunt for points and handed some championship momentum to his main title rivals Ingram and Hill.

Sutton duly pitted to have the rear quarter of his car addressed, but not before Cammish and Hill passed him on track at Lodge to seize third and fourth. Whilst the top-two were able to drive comfortably home, there was to be one more change of position amongst the podium placings and it came on the final lap. Hill drew alongside Cammish on the exit of Island on the final lap and managed to secure the place with a hard braking move around the outside at Hislops.

Behind Cammish, Aron Taylor-Smith led Mikey Doble home as the Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing Vauxhall Astras completed a strong race in fifth and sixth.

Four-time BTCC champion Colin Turkington finished seventh after a supreme run up the order from last. The Northern Irishman’s Team BMW entry cut through the pack lap after lap, culminating in a pass on Chris Smiley during the penultimate lap to secure a strong finish. Smiley, Daniel Rowbottom and Daryl DeLeon completed the top-10.

After returning to the race, Sutton eventually crossed the line in 16th.

Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, Oulton Park, Race 2

1. Josh Cook, LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ, Toyota Corolla GR Sport
2. Tom Ingram, Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS, Hyundai i30N, +8.016s
3. Jake Hill, Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport, BMW 330e M Sport, +9.879s
4. Dan Cammish, NAPA Racing UK, Ford Focus ST, +10.430s
5. Aron Taylor-Smith, Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing, Vauxhall Astra, +10.856s
6. Mikey Doble, Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing, Vauxhall Astra, +11.452s
7. Colin Turkington, Team BMW, BMW 330e M Sport, +12.197s
8. Chris Smiley, Restart Racing, Cupra Leon, +13.420s
9. Danel Rowbottom, NAPA Racing UK, Ford Focus ST, +14.705s
10. Daryl DeLeon, Duckhams Racing with Bartercard, Cupra Leon, +18.084s