Josh Cook: I feel like myself and the team have earned this

Josh Cook admits he wasn’t surprised that he was able to claim a maiden Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship pole position at Donington Park.

The Power Maxed Racing driver left it late in the 30-minute session to springboard to the top of the times, taking advantage of the ever-changing track conditions to score a first pole position for himself and the Vauxhall Astra team.

“I’m over the moon and really pleased,” Cook told BTCC Crazy. “It is not a surprise that we have been able to take pole position. We as a team showed at Brands Hatch what we can do and the guys have done a great job.

“They have provided a fantastic car and it was my job not to screw it up and deliver a lap – which I somehow managed not to do.

“We knew the pace was in the car and I always knew that it was going to come down to our second set of tyres. I bolted them on a little bit late but we found a good gap after the red flag and I just got my head down.

“I feel like both myself and the team have earned this. In the past I haven’t always had the rub of the green so it is nice to get this result and we now will look ahead to tomorrow.”

Focusing on the first of tomorrow’s three encounters, Cook is optimistic that he can convert his pole position into a maiden BTCC win and what would be Power Maxed Racing’s second of the year.

He said: “I’ll sleep well tonight, this isn’t new to me and I don’t feel like it is a shock. At the end of the day I want to win and we are in a great position to achieve that tomorrow – I’m feeling good about our chances.”