26 MAY: BTCC SNETTERTON
After the torrential rain of Donington and the heatwave of Brands Hatch, Snetterton – the longest circuit on the calendar – delivered a confusing mixture of the two, with heavy showers mid race making tyre choice a lottery and, in race two at least, almost as many cars starting from pit lane as there were on the grid.
This time it was “Cobra driver” Jake Hill who enjoyed a double delight.
While in race one Jake led from lights out to claim his first win of the season in his Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport BMW, it was fellow 330e M Sport driver Bobby Thompson who had a barnstorming drive from 5th on the grid to claim a career best second in his Zeus Cloud Racing With WSR BMW.
Hill put in perhaps the most impressive drive of his career to date in claiming his 14th ever BTCC win in race 2: While rain caused chaos in his wake (amongst others “Cobra’s” Andrew Watson going on a high speed visit of Snetterton’s parkland to lose second place in his Toyota Gazoo Racing UK Corolla GR Sport) Jake proved to be the rain master and didn’t put a wheel wrong. Behind him, Josh Cook proved equally adept in the conditions, rising from 14th on the grid to claim third in his LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ Toyota Corolla GR Sport.
Race 3 provided a clean sweep of the podium for Toyota and for drivers using Cobra seats: Rob Huff, starting 14th on the grid and taking full advantage of his choice of soft tyres, cut through the field to take the final win of the day. For the immensely experienced former World Touring Car Champion this wasn’t just his first win of the season it was his first win in the British Touring Car Championship for 20 years – and by coincidence, his last BTCC win was also at Snetterton..
Huff’s victory for Toyota Gazoo Racing UK ahead of the two LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ drivers, Aiden Moffat and Josh Cook, meant it was an all Toyota Corolla GR Sport podium.
