Josh Cook led home team-mate Tom Chilton in a BTC Racing 1-2 in the final Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship race of the day at Thruxton.
Cook, having finished eighth in race two, was drawn out of the hat to start race three from pole and duly capitalised by converting it into a race victory. It went some way to atoning for his disqualification from victory at Oulton Park last month for failing a post-race ride height check.
When the lights went out, Cook assumed the lead from Chilton who just fended off the fast starting Tom Oliphant. At the complex, Rory Butcher was late on the brakes and swept around the outside of Oliphant and into third position.
At the front, Cook managed to build enough of a gap to Chilton to keep him out of striking range.
On lap five, Ash Sutton and Tom Ingram dived past Oliphant at the exit of the complex to demote the BMW driver to sixth.
The pair then reeled Butcher in and put him under intense pressure. However, Butcher drove some brilliant defensive lines to keep them at bay.
At the flag, Cook had edged away from Chilton to win by the best part of three and a half seconds. It was Cook’s fourth career BTCC victory at the Hampshire circuit.
Butcher just held on to the last spot on the podium despite Sutton getting alongside him at the complex on the final lap. Sutton was forced to settle for fourth but was chased home by Ingram who backed up his two wins with a fifth place finish to cap an excellent weekend.
Oliphant just held on to sixth from Matt Neal who enjoyed his strongest weekend of the season so far.
Colin Turkington could only manage eighth and lost further ground to Sutton in the championship.
Jake Hill was ninth ahead of Dan Cammish who struggled for pace in the final race of the day.
The championship heads to Silverstone in Northamptonshire next weekend for rounds 16, 17 & 18 of the series.
