The MAC Tools-backed Ollie Pidgley wants to put on a good show for his local supporters when the Renault UK Clio Cup takes to his home Thruxton circuit this weekend (7-8 May).
Pidgley and his Ciceley Motorsport-prepared UK Clio Cup racecar were star attractions at the 2016 Downton Cuckoo Fair on Saturday (30 April) and the teenager from Salisbury was delighted to have sparked a lot of interest and inspired his neighbours to attend the forthcoming race meeting at Thruxton.
“The Downton Cuckoo Fair was a great event and it did a lot to raise awareness of my racing programme in the Renault UK Clio Cup among the people who live in my village and the surrounding area. There was a lot of interest, people really took notice of what we’re doing and I felt a lot of local support. The car was there fully wrapped in its MAC Tools livery and I have encouraged quite a few people to come along to see me race in the next round of the championship at Thruxton too!”
His attention now turns to Round 3 of the 2016 UK Clio Cup at his home Thruxton circuit, where he holds a role as an official Association of Racing Drivers Schools (ARDS) Instructor.
The aim is to continue moving on up through the super-competitive field, having breached the top ten last time out at Donington Park.
However, Pidgley acknowledges that Thruxton poses a unique and somewhat intimidating challenge and that the ultra-high speed racetrack is known to test the mettle of even the most experienced of drivers.
“There’s a lot of hype surrounding Thruxton and its high-speed nature and this increases when the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship comes to town,” said Pidgley. “Everybody has been talking about it for some time now, it being such a prestigious event, and I’m really looking forward to racing on the BTCC package in the Renault UK Clio Cup at my home circuit!
“I would like to finish inside the top ten at the very least and I believe that’s possible. I was really fast in testing, running second, and I’ll be looking to hit the ground running in qualifying. You spend around 60 per cent of the lap on full throttle and slipstreaming is powerful there, so I’ll be formulating a plan with my teammate to ensure we get good grid positions, as that will be critical if we are to do well in the races. There are so few overtaking opportunities and the chances you do have require a bit of bravery!”
Renault UK Clio Cup qualifying takes place from 14.20 on Saturday (7 May), while Rounds 5 and 6 will be held at 10.45 and 15.15 respectively on Sunday (8 May), with live coverage on ITV4 and ITV4 HD.