Croft Clash: Cook Leads the BTCC Charge
The British Touring Car Championship headed to North Yorkshire for another action-packed weekend of racing at Croft, with the championship battle continuing to intensify as the season enters its crucial stages.
Croft’s tight corners, heavy braking zones and unforgiving grass run-off once again provided the perfect ingredients for close BTCC racing, with the likes of Josh Cook, Dan Cammish, Ashley Sutton and Tom Ingram all looking to make their mark.
Saturday’s qualifying session produced an incredibly close fight at the sharp end of the grid.
Josh Cook emerged on top for Speedworks Corolla Racing, producing a 1:20.663 to secure pole position. Dan Cammish put his NAPA Racing UK Ford Focus alongside him on the front row with a 1:20.866, while Mikey Doble was third for LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing.
Tom Ingram was fourth for Team VERTU, followed by championship leader Ashley Sutton in fifth. Gordon Shedden, Aiden Moffat, Daryl De Leon, Ricky Collard and Daniel Rowbottom completed the top ten.
The session was particularly competitive, with less than three-tenths of a second separating the top five.
Qualifying Top 10:
Josh Cook
Dan Cammish
Mikey Doble
Tom Ingram
Ashley Sutton
Gordon Shedden
Aiden Moffat
Daryl De Leon
Ricky Collard
Daniel Rowbottom
Cook’s pole was especially important given how difficult overtaking can be around the Croft circuit. With the qualifying race offering valuable championship points, the Speedworks driver had the ideal opportunity to convert his pace into an early advantage.
Cook carried his qualifying pace straight into the qualifying race, producing a controlled performance from pole. The Speedworks Toyota immediately established itself at the front, with Cammish keeping the pressure on behind. Cook eventually crossed the line first after 11 laps, taking victory by 1.203 seconds over Cammish.
Ash Sutton completed the podium, finishing just over two seconds behind Cook and securing another strong points haul for NAPA Racing UK.
Daryl De Leon impressed in fourth for WSR, while Tom Ingram recovered to fifth. Aiden Moffat finished sixth, ahead of Ricky Collard, Daniel Rowbottom, Chris Smiley and Daniel Lloyd.
Charles Rainford rounded out the top eleven.
Cook’s victory gave him the perfect start to the Croft weekend, while Sutton and Cammish continued to strengthen their championship campaigns.
Croft arrived with Ashley Sutton leading the championship standings, with Dan Cammish and Tom Ingram among the drivers looking to close the gap.
The weekend once again highlighted just how competitive the 2026 BTCC field has been. Cook, Sutton, Cammish and Ingram were separated by only fractions of a second during qualifying, while drivers further down the order remained capable of fighting for points.
Mikey Doble also continued to show strong pace, while Daryl De Leon and Daniel Rowbottom produced impressive performances to keep themselves in the mix.
With every point becoming increasingly important, Croft represented another crucial chapter in what is shaping up to be a fiercely contested BTCC season.
Croft once again proved why it remains one of the most challenging circuits on the BTCC calendar.
Josh Cook was the star of the opening stages, taking pole before converting it into qualifying-race victory. Dan Cammish and Ashley Sutton ensured NAPA Racing UK had two cars on the podium, while the likes of De Leon, Ingram, Moffat and Rowbottom all enjoyed strong runs.
Sunday brought three races and a completely different challenge for the BTCC field, with the unpredictable nature of Croft once again coming to the fore.
Josh Cook carried his qualifying-race victory into Race 1, producing another superb drive. He held off Ashley Sutton to take the chequered flag just 0.377 seconds ahead, with Tom Ingram completing the podium. Dan Cammish finished fourth, while Ricky Collard and Daryl De Leon rounded out the leading pack.
Cook's strong start to Sunday continued in Race 2, but this time Sutton turned the tables. The NAPA Racing UK driver took victory after 15 laps, beating Daniel Rowbottom by 6.073 seconds, with Ricky Collard completing the podium. Cammish finished fourth, while Gordon Shedden and Tom Chilton also enjoyed strong runs.
If Race 1 and Race 2 had provided close racing, Race 3 delivered the chaos Croft is famous for.
Mikey Doble produced one of the drives of the weekend to claim victory for LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing. Tom Chilton finished second, with Gordon Shedden completing the podium.
Behind them, the battle was just as intense. Josh Cook recovered to fourth, while Adam Morgan took an impressive fifth. Aiden Moffat, Daniel Lloyd, Dexter Patterson and Daniel Rowbottom completed the top nine.
But the biggest drama came from the championship contenders. Ashley Sutton and Tom Ingram both failed to finish, with Sutton retiring after six laps and Ingram after nine. Dan Cammish also failed to see the chequered flag, classified a lap down. Sam Osborne was another retirement.
It was a dramatic way to close the Croft weekend, with several of the championship's biggest names losing valuable points while Doble took advantage at the front.
For Doble, the victory was a huge reward after a weekend of strong pace. For Sutton, Ingram and Cammish, however, the final race demonstrated just how quickly fortunes can change in the BTCC.
Croft delivered everything fans have come to expect from the BTCC: close qualifying, aggressive battles, changing fortunes and a final race packed with drama.
Cook was undoubtedly one of the weekend's biggest winners, taking the qualifying race and Race 1 before recovering to fourth in the chaotic finale. Sutton also had a mixed but ultimately productive weekend, taking Race 2 victory before his Race 3 retirement.
Doble's final-race victory provided the perfect ending to a weekend where the order was constantly changing.
With the championship heading towards its final stages, Croft may prove to be a pivotal weekend. Every point matters — and as the final race showed, nothing is guaranteed until the chequered flag falls.
Written by Lauren Moore
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