Cook joins new Speedworks satellite team LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ
Speedworks to field new LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ entry in BTCC
Two-car team will run alongside existing Toyota Gazoo Racing UK effort
Double Independents’ champion Josh Cook signs up in quest for main prize
Two-time British Touring Car Championship Independents’ title-holder Speedworks Motorsport has unveiled the first member of its driver line-up for the 2024 campaign, as multiple race-winner Josh Cook joins forces with the Northwich, Cheshire-based outfit.
Speedworks will run four Toyota Corollas in the country’s premier motor racing series this year – two Toyota Gazoo Racing UK entries, and two under the new LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ satellite banner.
Owned by the LKQ Corporation – a leading provider of recycled and manufactured parts – Euro Car Parts distributes car, LCV and speciality parts throughout the UK, the Republic of Ireland and Europe. Boasting more than 330 branches and a comprehensive stock of over 160,000 different parts, the brand operates in three key markets – trade, retail and collision – while SYNETIQ, an IAA company, is Britain’s foremost integrated vehicle salvage and recycling company, maximising the economic and environmental benefit of every vehicle it receives.
To fans of the BTCC – with some 15 million tuning into ITV’s cutting-edge primetime coverage last season – Cook needs little introduction. A familiar face in the paddock since 2015, the West Country ace has tallied no fewer than 18 victories – making him the 19th ‘winningest’ driver in the championship’s 66-year history – 42 podium finishes, three pole positions and 24 fastest laps. It is an impressive set of statistics by any standards.
Like Speedworks, Cook has twice lifted the Independents’ laurels in the fiercely-contested series – in 2022 and 2023 – while finishing inside the top six in the overall standings in five of the past six campaigns, placing a career-high third in 2021. The 32-year-old is hoping the move to LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ will prove to be the final piece of the puzzle to kick-start his quest to clinch the biggest prize of all – the coveted Drivers’ crown.
The team’s second driver will be announced in due course. Racing will get underway at popular Leicestershire circuit Donington Park on 27/28 April – home soil for the British-built Corolla GR Sport, whose road-going cousins are produced at Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK (TMUK) in nearby Burnaston. All of the action season-long will be broadcast live and in high-definition on ITV channels.
Christian Dick, Team Principal, LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ, said:
“All of us here at Speedworks are really pumped to launch LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ alongside our existing Toyota Gazoo Racing UK programme for the upcoming BTCC campaign. Having expanded from two cars to three last year, to now take the next step up to run four Toyota Corollas in the series is tremendously motivating for the entire team and a hugely exciting prospect. It’s a well-proven package, and we know there is still more pace and potential to be extracted from it.
“By the same token, we’re absolutely thrilled to be bringing Josh on-board. Having raced against him since 2015, we know just how tough a competitor he is. He’s quick, switched-on and a first-class racer, and the kind of driver who is capable of extracting a result out of any given situation. He’s been a leading contender for the past six years and is very much ready to put together a proper championship push. Hopefully we can help him to achieve that.”
Josh Cook, Driver, LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ, said:
“I’m delighted to be joining Speedworks to compete for LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ in the BTCC in 2024. After sharing the paddock with them in recent years, it has been clear to see how professional and dedicated Christian [Dick] and the entire team are. The Toyota Corolla will be a new challenge for me, and one I’m very much looking forward to getting to grips with during the forthcoming campaign.”
Colin Cottrell, Trade B2B and Marketing Director, LKQ Euro Car Parts, said:
“We’re excited to be continuing our support for the BTCC alongside our new partner SYNETIQ for the 2024 campaign, and to carry on working closely with Josh. We’ve witnessed his success first-hand and are looking forward to seeing him in action as part of LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ and Speedworks this year. Best of luck to Josh and the whole team.”
Tom Rumboll, UK Managing Director for IAA and CEO of SYNETIQ, said:
“We’re thrilled that Josh is joining the LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ team. Many of our colleagues and customers are huge motorsport fans, so this is a particularly proud moment for us all. We’re looking forward to following the season and wish Josh – and his future team-mates – the best of luck.”