Paula Cook
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| Paula Cook | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |  British |
| Born | 2 November 1969 Rotherham, England |
| Relatives | David Cook Derek Cook Jake Cook |
| British Touring Car Championship | |
| Years active | 1998–1999 |
| Teams | DC Cook Motorsport |
| Starts | 20 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Poles | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| Best finish | 19th in 1999 |
| Previous series | |
| 2004 2003 2003 2003 2003 2002 2000 1998–99 1997 1995–98 1995 1994 1994 | British GT Championship FIA GT Championship SEAT Cupra Championship Porsche Supercup SEAT Cupra Superprix ASCAR Lotus Elise Championship British Touring Car Championship RAC Tourist Trophy British Formula 3 Championship British Formula Renault Formula Vauxhall Junior Winter Series Formula Vauxhall Junior |
Paula Cook (born 2 November 1969) is a British motor racing driver. She is best known as an independent driver in the British Touring Car Championship competing for the family-run DC Cook Motorsports. She ran the family-owned DC Cook Direct dealership after her father's death in 2005 until its closure in 2009.
Early career
Born in Rotherham,[1] Cook began her motor racing career in 1994, when she competed in both the Formula Vauxhall Junior and Formula Vauxhall Junior Winter Series championships, finishing second overall in the latter.[2] British Formula Renault (becoming the first female ever to achieve a pole position in an international race),[3] followed by three years in the British Formula 3 Championship between 1996 and 1998.[4] In 1997, she drove for the works Nissan team in the RAC Tourist Trophy.[5]
BTCC
Towards the end of 1998 British Touring Car Championship season, Cook entered the final four rounds for her father's DC Cook Motorsport Team in a Honda Accord.[6] She entered once more with DC Cook in 1999, planning to compete in the entire season, the first woman to do so.[7] However, despite a reasonable start to the year, the season for Cook was cut short after round 16, after her team pulled out of the series due to financial difficulties.[8]
In her 20 BTCC race starts, Cook scored three points and two Independents cup race victories.
Later career
After the BTCC, Cook raced in the Lotus Elise Championship and the SEAT Cupra Championship.[4] In 2002, she entered a one-off ASCAR race at Rockingham.[9] In 2003, she competed in the SEAT Cupra Championship for the first time,[9] before later entering two races for the Morgan Works Race Team in the FIA GT Championship,[10] Most recently she has competed in the British GT Championship in 2004, driving the Chevrolet Corvette C5R of the Embassy Racing team.[11][12] following an outing in the Porsche Supercup.[13]