Josh Cook praises PMR after maiden success

Josh Cook was full of praise for his Power Maxed Racing team after picking up a maiden win in the BTCC at Donington Park.

Three weeks after team-mate Senna Proctor took victory at Brands Hatch, Cook secured a first pole for the Vauxhall squad in qualifying before storming to top spot in the opening race of the weekend.

Minimising his losses on the hard tyre in race two, Cook then secured a fine podium finish behind Adam Morgan in race three to end the weekend third in the standings – 15 points down on leader Tom Ingram.

“There has been some bad luck for others this weekend – but we had ours at Brands Hatch,” he told TouringCarTimes. “After qualifying on pole, the win was there for the taking in race one so we took it, and then in race two, I think we did okay on the hard tyre.

“Race three was a bit messy at times but when it settled down we chased down Adam but didn’t have the laps to try and pass him for the lead. This weekend, we took the opportunities that came our way. The team has done the hard work with the development on the car, and we’re reaping the rewards at the moment of the fantastic job they’ve done.”

Cook’s strong weekend comes as he seeks to bounce back from a difficult 2017 season and he admitted that staying out of trouble would be key to trying to launch a championship challenge.

“Last year there were tough times when it came to performance and you find yourself caught up in the pack where it is hard to race,” he said. “In the MG for example, we had a mechanical failure at Rockingham that led to some attention that I didn’t want, but things are so much easier when you find yourself in a good car as I am now.

“This weekend it was a real pleasure to drive the Astra; particularly in races one and three. Now we have to try and stay out of trouble to remain near the sharp end. Thruxton next is my home circuit and I’m looking forward to the weekend. We went well there in testing and I think the car will carry the weight well.”