ROKiT MB Motorsport extended its tally of podium finishes in the 2022 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship at Thruxton with Jake Hill taking to the rostrum twice with consecutive second-place results.
Spurred on by a superb qualifying effort from the #24 that placed him on the front row of the grid for the third weekend in succession, hopes were high of another strong performance at the fastest circuit in the UK on race day.
A sublime launch off the start line, in race one, in his WSR-run BMW 330e M Sport allowed Jake to surge alongside and briefly ahead of polesitter Josh Cook heading into the first chicane before the Honda reclaimed the position.
Settling into the race, Jake continued to build heat into his Goodyear tyres and set about overturning the gap the front-wheel drive Honda had developed. Before long, the BRDC SuperStar was harassing Cook for the lead, maintaining a three-tenth gap whilst vying for a way through in a thrilling cat and mouse chase - eventually settling for second place.
Starting race two just as they did in the opener, a solid launch for Jake coupled with a poor getaway for Cook meant Jake took the lead off the start line and into the opening lap. Making use of the benefit of initially higher front tyre temperatures, Cook then scythed back past Jake into Club chicane - with the pair now running line astern for the second race in a row.
In similar scenes to the first race, Jake continued to pile pressure on Cook but opted against any risky manoeuvres and decided to secure second place and another strong haul of points. In another tantalising battle, the pair almost matched lap times for the remainder of the contest as Jake crossed the line to record his second P2 result of the day.
Lining up sixth for the final race of the day courtesy of the reverse grid draw, Jake initially held firm in the middle of the top-ten, running eighth in the early stages. Unfortunate contact with Tom Ingram caused significant damage to the bodywork of Jake’s car. Shown the black and orange flag, he was forced into the pits where the team quickly removed the affected parts and sent him back out to claim P21 on the road.
“Overall we had a really positive weekend at Thruxton,” Jake said. “It’s a track that doesn’t typically suit us rear-wheel drive runners but the BMWs were strong. The front row in qualifying followed by two more podiums is a great haul of points and I thoroughly enjoyed the battles with Josh throughout the day. The final race didn’t fall our way and that was unfortunate but we still scored well and can head to Oulton Park feeling confident.”
Mark Blundell, Sporting Director of ROKiT MB Motorsport, added:
“Well done to the team on yet another high-scoring weekend. This stage of the championship is all about scoring those high points and Jake did exactly that throughout the first two races. It’s a shame the day didn’t end as well as it started but on the whole the team can be very pleased with their efforts.”
In the championship standings, Jake now occupies fifth place in the drivers’ table with 103 points and also leads the Goodyear Wingfoot award for the season’s fastest qualifier. In the Teams championship, ROKiT MB Motorsport place seventh with 100 points.
The team now head to Oulton Park for the next phase of the 2022 campaign, set for the weekend of 11-12 June.
