The Renault UK Clio Cup rolls on to the historic Donington Park circuit this weekend (16-17 April) and Ollie Pidgley naturally hopes to build on what was a highly encouraging debut in Britain’s premier one-make saloon car championship.
Pidgley threatened the top ten and notably recorded the second fastest racing lap in the latter UK Clio Cup encounter at Brands Hatch, under the gaze of tens of thousands of trackside spectators and the millions who tuned in to ITV4’s live coverage of the British Touring Car Championship.
However, the MAC Tools factory driver and brand ambassador highlighted a need to refine some of his driving techniques following his trip ‘down the Hatch’, and he used two 45-minute test sessions on Thursday (14 April) to dial himself in to Donington’s fast, flowing confines, with a particular focus on carrying more speed through the corners.
“Ending first practice in 11th and just two tenths adrift of the top five runners gives me hope and the plan was to simply get in as many laps as possible, with track time so limited over the course of the weekend,” said Pidgley. “Free practice was a bit of a learning curve, as I hadn’t tested at Donington Park before, but we got off to a decent start.
“We have opted not to change my setup and the focus is purely on driving technique, as I still need to work out how to get the most out of new tyres and carry more mid-corner speed. Any improvement on my performances at Brands Hatch would be good, as they’re so hard to come by in such a competitive championship.”
Qualifying is scheduled for 12.10 on Saturday (16 April), while Rounds 3 and 4 of the 2016 Renault UK Clio Cup will take place at 10.40 and 15.45 respectively on Sunday (17 April), with live coverage on ITV4 and ITV4 HD.