Hugo Cook is ready for a strong Brands Hatch showing despite the 10-second pit stop success penalty he and his teammate must serve following their third-place finish at Snetterton.
The Barwell Motorsport driver is chasing his second British GT victory with his #1 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 teammate and reigning GT3 Drivers’ champion, Rob Collard.
Brands Hatch marks the eighth and penultimate race meeting of the 2025 calendar on 23-24 August. Cook is keen to fight back and close the season on a high.
He already raced at Brands Hatch earlier this year in his GT World Challenge (GTWC) Europe Sprint Cup campaign with Barwell teammate and Lamborghini factory driver Sandy Mitchell, and now returns for a 120-minute endurance race with Collard.
“We’ve got a 10-second pit stop penalty there, which will make things tricky,” Cook told DSC.
“But Sandy [Mitchell] and I raced there in the sprint earlier this year, so we’ve got a strong baseline. No excuses really, it’s a mega track and I’m looking forward to it.”
Cook’s season has been a mix of highs and challenges. After winning Race 1 at Oulton Park, the #1 duo couldn’t carry momentum into Race 2, as a gamble on slick tyres amid changing wet conditions didn’t pay off.
The 21-year-old cited Spa-Francorchamps as his best meeting so far, where they earned a third-place finish despite not having the outright pace.
“Rob [Collard] was mega at Oulton, but for me, Spa was the one,” he affirmed. “We qualified fifth, nothing spectacular on paper, but I felt like I nailed qualifying there.
“At most other rounds, I’ve come in thinking, ‘I left a tenth on the table.’ At Spa, I didn’t. And to get a podium when we didn’t really have the car for it was really strong.”
As Blackthorn’s #7 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo, driven by four-time British GT champion Jonny Adam, led unchallenged at Spa, Cook held second ahead of the sister #78 Barwell Lamborghini.
But 24 Hours of Spa pole-sitter Marvin Kirchhöfer, in the #77 Optimum McLaren GT3 Evo, was charging fast — and soon reeled them both in.
“All weekend, he [Marvin] had nearly a second on us,” Cook added. “When he got past Patrick [Kujala] and was behind me, I tried my best but knew it was inevitable he’d get through.
“The pace advantage was so big there. For us to even be on the podium was a great result — it wasn’t really a fight, more a ‘see you later.’”
After a standout performance in the Ardennes, Cook reflected on the journey that brought him here, including unexpected changes to his pairing when Collard missed early-season rounds due to an unforeseen medical procedure.
Collard missed the Silverstone test and Donington Park opener, putting Cook a place ahead in the GT3 Drivers’ standings. This meant Cook teamed up with Matt Topham at the season opener.
“It feels like so long ago now, but it was unexpected. Thankfully, they found a good replacement in Matt, but it wasn’t ideal because his first experience [with Barwell] was on the race weekend,” Cook reflected.
“We lost a chunk of points there — Rob’s always quick at Donington — but luckily it was only for one round, so it didn’t make too much difference.
“Rob was impressed with how I worked, and after so many years, he’s still hungry to win.
“He’s got a lot of Lamborghini experience, so he’s been really helpful with setup.
Despite ongoing qualifying struggles, highlighted by Collard securing the car’s only pole at Oulton, Cook and Collard have maximised race performances.
At Snetterton, they climbed from seventh on the grid to claim a podium finish in Race 2.
“I think I’ve done a good job,” he assessed his performance so far at Barwell. “Not perfect, but for the first season, I’m happy.
“The margins to guys like Patrick [Kujala] or Sandy [Mitchell] haven’t been big.
“The main thing is we’ve not had pole-position pace all year — a couple of tenths off a factory driver now puts you in P7 or P8.
“In qualifying, that’s been tricky, but in the races I think we’ve maximised what we’ve had.”
With Brands Hatch’s grid set by combined lap times, Cook and Collard must nail qualifying. A strong start to the weekend is crucial not just for the race but for their championship hopes.
Sitting sixth and 23.5 points adrift of the leading #42 2 Seas Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo, the pressure to perform is on for Cook if he is to stay in the hunt for the finale at Donington.
“I’d like to improve my qualifying, just a couple more places. I think we should aim for another win. In the standings, I think a win would really put us back in contention.”
Images courtesy of JEP/SRO
