Thrills and spills at Thruxton for MG

Another action-packed weekend of BTCC racing saw more excellent performances from MG drivers Josh Cook and Ashley Sutton at Thruxton, but race one collisions affected their chances of more points and podiums.

In what has been an unfavourable circuit to MG6s in recent years and one known to suit the shorter wheel base cars, the Saturday practice and qualifying gave reason for optimism for the MG Triple Eight team. Josh Cook and Ashley Sutton set the fourth and fifth quickest laps in the sun at the Hampshire circuit.

However the start to Sunday didn’t follow the same script. Despite Cook making a good start to move up to second, teammate Sutton’s race was soon over. On just lap two, he tussled with Tom Ingram and was forced off track and out of the race.

Cook’s fortune was also short-lived as he suffered a race-ending collision with Matt Neal on lap 11. The MG driver was unsighted as the Honda returned to the pits following a puncture. The incident, which caught up several other cars, brought the red flags out and a premature end to the race.

After sterling work from the Triple Eight engineers, both cars were back on track for race two, albeit starting from the back of the grid. Both drivers drove superbly to make their way through the field – Cook finished 12th and Sutton 15th.

The non-stop action continued into race three. More excellent driving and pace from the MG pair saw them battle their way through the field, narrowly missing out on a place on the podium as Cook crossed the line in fourth and Sutton just behind him in fifth.

The BTCC season takes a short break and returns on 4/5 June at the picturesque Oulton Park circuit.