BTCC ace Cook encouraged by Honda progress after Donington opener

Leading British Touring Car Championship racer Josh Cook believes he is “in a good place” to be a contender this season with the One Motorsport Honda team.

The 33-year-old West Countryman ended the opener 11th in the championship, but the Civic Type R showed enough pace at Donington Park on its first race weekend out of competition mothballs since 2022, to suggest that much more is to come.

Brackley team One took a break from the BTCC in 2024, and has returned with Cook spearheading a two-car line-up that also includes Stephen Jelley. Cook is racing the very same Civic FK8 chassis that he drove to 16 race wins from 2019-22, rather than the newer-build machine with which he had a disappointing season in 2023.

The Donington weekend began badly when an oil pressure problem in the first free practice period necessitated an engine change for FP2, which Cook joined late and meant he was effectively one session behind the opposition in dialling in the car.

But from seventh on the grid, Cook was running ahead of eventual fourth-place finisher Jake Hill when he was hit off course at the chicane by Tom Chilton. This folded over the Honda’s exhaust, costing power and restricting it to seventh, promoted to sixth when Chilton was given a penalty.

“Before Tom punted us off I think we had the pace to get on the podium,” said Cook, who had topped the Donington test a week and a half before the race weekend.

“You do the test days, you’re on your own, you go round, you come across other cars. But to be all in the same position, the same circuit, at the same time, the same tyres, the same fuel load, everything, it was good to see where our strengths were.

“I’m pleased with where the chassis was today. As always we’ve still got a few little things to do to make it better, but it’s given me a nice boost of confidence, even though the result wasn’t as good as we could have got.”

Cook also praised the One mechanics for the swift change of the Honda’s TOCA engine: “They did an amazing job getting the engine swapped in the time they needed to. We were always on the back foot, we got out in FP2 just to do some laps and get an idea of what we needed to change, but of course you always find you’re playing catch-up.”

In the second race, Cook ran the soft tyres and was in the lead group with Ash Sutton, Tom Ingram and Hill before a puncture caused by debris pitched him off the road. After a pitstop, he rejoined to finish 20th and last. From there, he fought to 11th in the final race.

“I had the pace to catch the guys in front,” he added of race two. “I caught them, got a bit warm behind them, thought I’d wait it out for the laps to count down so I had plenty of boost button left. And I went into the Old Hairpin and as soon as I turned in that was it.”

While Cook believes he is in the mix, he realises that the pace shown at Donington by Sutton and Ingram puts them a little way ahead.

“You can always make things better,” he said. “I’m pleased with the pace, but we’ve got to find a little bit to catch the front couple I’d say.”

With Cook’s long-time engineer, the unrelated Mick Cook, retiring after the 2024 season, he is now being looked after by Rob Peacey, who was part of the Power Maxed Racing Vauxhall team when he drove there in 2018.

“I’ve been in the same team where Rob has worked previously,” said Cook at Donington.

“The good thing is Mick hasn’t left and gone to another team. There’s plenty of conversation, consultation, information, recommendation, everything back and forth. I even had Mick on the phone this morning to ask how everything’s gone. It’s nice to be in that position, and Rob’s doing a good job.”

Halstead returns with second PMR Vauxhall

Nick Halstead, Bristol Street Motors with EXCELR8 Hyundai i30 N Fastback

Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images

BTCC regular Nick Halstead is back on the grid from this weekend’s round at Brands Hatch after missing the Donington Park opener.

Halstead, who split with Excelr8 Motorsport at the end of the 2024 season following two campaigns with the Hyundai squad, will join Mikey Doble at the Power Maxed Racing Vauxhall operation as the Midlands set-up expands back to two cars.

Tech mogul Halstead is doing so using his ‘DreamDrive. Team’ platform to “serve as the foundation for a revolutionary approach to fan engagement and partnership activation throughout the season”.

PMR’s second TBL entrants’ licence was transferred to Un-Limited Motorsport when that team expanded to three Cupras, so the addition of the second PMR Astra has come with the unanimous agreement of the other teams and series organiser TOCA.

“I’m not here claiming to be the fastest driver on the grid – I’m here to have fun and bring fans closer to the sport they love through our DreamDrive platform,” said Halstead.

Halstead’s arrival pushes the grid size up to 25.