Photo: PSP Images

Josh Cook laments power deficit after Oulton Park incident

Josh Cook has praised his Maximum Motorsport team for ‘extracting everything’ from his Ford Focus but admits he has been left frustrated by issues beyond the team’s control that have resulted in him struggling for straight line speed this season.

The former PMR and MG driver was embroiled in one of the most talked about incidents at the weekend at Oulton Park, when contact from defending BTCC champion Gordon Shedden forced him to retire from the final race.

The 25-year-old had been on the defensive throughout the early stages of the race as he looked to keep Shedden’s factory Honda behind, with his Focus appearing to be particularly vulnerable on the faster parts of the lap.

Things came to a head going into turn one on lap four, when Shedden tried to make a move down the inside but clipped the rear of Cook’s car – breaking the suspension and putting the Focus out of the race.

Speaking afterwards, Cook admitted a lack of straight line speed had played a part in the incident taking place, and said it was making things tough on track as he seeks to take the right to his rivals.

“I’m not – and never have been – one to moan about boost and straight line speed, but it’s getting too hard at the moment,” he said. “Part of what happened with Gordon is the fact that cars are able to come up so quickly behind in the straights, and it almost makes it look like we are out of position, which isn’t the case.

“I’m wringing the neck of the car but it isn’t enough, and I just want to be in the race. The team has done an amazing job with the car and are maximising everything that we can control like the dampers and the spring set-up and it means we’ve been able to hold our own against Motorbase, who built the car and have been running it for years. But I can’t suddenly find eight tenths of a second, and I haven’t suddenly forgotten how to drive a car over the winter.

“Look at Donington Park as a prime example. I was right up there with the Chevrolet and the MG, and this season with the Focus, which has an absolutely mega chassis, we’re 17th quickest and losing all the time in the sector of the lap where you need to have the grunt.

“I’m not saying I want more than anyone else, but I just want the same so we can race.”

Boost evaluation on the Ford was carried out across the Oulton Park weekend, and Cook said he hoped that the work would continue to bring the Focus into the mix.

“TOCA have started to look at things and I thank them for that, but it can’t stop there,” he said. “Let’s get things checked properly, and I don’t just mean on our car. If you compare us to Subaru, they have the advantage that comes from rear-wheel drive and the way they manage their tyres whereas we don’t have anything; we don’t have a different layout or an engine that is lower down in the car. We have the same disadvantages but none of their advantages.

“Look on the TV and it’s clear to see. As I said, I think my team deserves a huge amount of credit for the results we’ve been able to get so far and I’m sorry for the guys that the weekend ended up as it did in race three, as I think we could have got a podium and they deserved it.”

Shedden was given a verbal warning for the incident in race three, with the two drivers then speaking to clear the air following the event.