Motostar champion Cook rounds off season with victory for Wilson Racing

Cook, who has already been crowned series champion, also bagged a third place on the 2.4-mile track, while teammate Charlie Atkins claimed a podium place, finishing third in the second race after a fourth position in race one. A third member of the team, Jake Clark, ended his rookie season with a tenth and an eighth.

The weekend comprised two free practice sessions on the Friday, followed by a qualifying session on the Saturday morning, the first race on the Saturday afternoon and the second race on the Sunday.

Cook headed both of the practice sessions, while Atkins finished the day third quickest and Clark ninth. In the 25-minute qualifying sessions, Cook cut a huge six-tenths of a second off his best lap-time to take pole position, while Atkins qualified in a solid fourth spot and Clark in 11th.

The opening ten-lap race began with high drama because Cook accidentally flicked the kill switch and had to be hurried into the pit lane where the bike was restarted. He had to be released in last place, leaving him 7.6 seconds behind the race leader.

Incredibly, he clawed his way back into contention, however, and ended up in third, just ahead of Atkins, who made a good start but then found himself stuck behind one of the slower GP class riders. Clark was embroiled in a battle with another standard class rider for the duration of the ten laps, crossing the line in tenth.

The grid for the 12-lap second race was based on the previous day’s fastest laps, so Cook and Atkins lined up one and two in the standard class. Cook got off to a flying start asnd never looked back, powering to victory, while Atkins came home third and Clark eighth.

Team boss Gary Wilson said: “Two more great races for us! Max is already champion, so when he clipped the kill switch with his glove on the starting grid, it didn’t matter too much.

“He did fantastically well to stll come through the field and reach the podium. In race two, he made no mistake and took the win.

“Charlie has really come on and fully deserved his podium place, while Jake improved all weekend. It’s been a long season but, ultimately, a successful one.”