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Josh Cook receives a race ban after a fourth reprimand at Rockingham

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Triple Eight Racing’s Josh Cook has become the first driver to be banned from a BTCC race in 16 years, after he was punished with a £500 fine and three points on his licence for contact with Team Parker Racing’s Stephen Jelley in the final race at Rockingham.

The team however have decided to appeal the decision, which will be heard at the start of the next race weekend at Silverstone. If the team’s appeal is upheld, it means he’ll be able to take part in the the first race, but would receive a ban upon his next infraction.

In the third race, Cook ran into Jelley’s Ford Focus at the Deene hairpin on lap ten, which resulted in Jelley retiring from the race on the spot with a broken rear-left wheel.

“He was two cars back, had nothing to do with what I was doing, and it was a big old hit,” said Jelley to TouringCarTimes. “He had a long time to decide to go down the banking, but then he’d fall to the back. He had the opportunity to not damage the car and accept he’d messed up.”

Cook’s penalty in Race 3 was one race after he was given a two-point endorsement after hitting Mat Jackson’s Motorbase Ford Focus at Yentwood in Race 2, which saw him dropped to the back of the grid for the final race. Jackson was able to continue on to finish in second, after Cook then retired on the following lap after an incident with Honda’s Matt Neal at Deene.

“It was very nearly not P2, as the MG decided to assault us. It was so blatant,” said Jackson to TouringCarTimes.

“I could read him like a book, I just knew what he was going to do. It doesn’t take any skill, it’s a shame really.”

Cook headed a list of penalties which included Motorbase drivers Martin Depper and Rory Butcher. Depper was handed two points for an incident in Race 1 with Eurotech’s Brett Smith, while Butcher was penalised with a two-point endorsementfor contact with Aiden Moffat’s Mercedes in Race 3.

Stephen Jelley was also given a three-point endorsement on his racing licence, and a £500 fine for two incidents in Race 1 with Senna Proctor and Matt Simpson.

Cook’s potential ban means he could be required to sit out the first race at Silverstone in three weeks’ time. The last driver to receive a race ban also drove for Triple Eight. Phil Bennett was given a one meeting ban at Croft in 2001, missing the next race at Oulton Park where he was replaced by Andy Priaulx, who took pole position on his debut and landed a Honda factory drive the following year.