Scuderia Vittoria achieved a sensational one-two-four result in the opening Renault UK Clio Cup encounter at Rockingham Motor Speedway on Saturday (14 September).
The KX Akademy and One Call Insurance-backed outfit completed a very positive day of testing at the Corby circuit on Friday.
Four of its six drivers featured highly in the top ten in first practice, while the top two FP2 times were occupied by Stefan Hodgetts and Josh Wakefield.
The decision on whether to remain on treaded Dunlop rubber or switch to slicks proved crucial in qualifying on Saturday morning.
However, a herculean effort from Hodgetts put him on pole position for Rounds 13 and 14 by over six tenths of a second.
Starting on full wets, the One Call Insurance-backed racer made various tyre selections before finally switching to slick rubber and blitzing the competition on Rockingham’s slippery confines.
Having shown such a strong hand from the outset of the weekend at Rockingham, Hodgetts duly converted pole into his fourth race win of the year. He staunchly defended his lead against fellow KX Akademy recruit Ant Whorton-Eales to achieve another emphatic one-two victory for the London-based Scuderia Vittoria outfit.
“Ant kept me very honest and it was far from an easy race,” said an elated Hodgetts. “It’s just fantastic to get another one-two result for the team and sponsors. While the championship is still mathematically possible and I should be going for race wins to stay in the hunt, the title isn’t at the forefront of my mind – I just want to win races all the time, no matter what!”
Whorton-Eales, meanwhile, was a beneficiary of the first-lap melee, surging up from 12th on the grid to third on the first tour of Rockingham’s 1.94-mile International Super Sportscar circuit.
After a brief Safety Car intervention, the Lichfield-based driver muscled past Ignas Gelzinis for second. He was unrelenting in his charge on race leader Hodgetts, pushing him all the way to convincingly seal another KX Racing with Scuderia Vittoria one-two.
“I’m absolutely delighted to bring home another one-two for Scuderia Vittoria and the KX Akademy,” said Whorton-Eales. “I made an incredible start and managed to weave my way through the carnage on the opening lap. I knew from Friday testing that our race pace was good and we were out of position after qualifying. Here’s hoping for a repeat performance tomorrow!”
Rookie Devon Modell and local man Ronnie Klos were equally impressive, popping up in fourth and sixth places respectively in the latter stages of qualifying.
Market Harborough’s Klos took on a fresh set of wets as the circuit dried out and simply persisted until the tyres came to him. In the dying minutes of qualifying, the 45-year old unexpectedly pumped in the sixth fastest time to seal the Masters Cup pole position.
“The intermediate tyre selection worked a treat for me in qualifying, but I was so shocked to be so far up the order,” said a speechless Klos. “I felt really nervous about being in among the established leaders but it was a relief not being further back in the danger zone where so many incidents occur.
“Unfortunately, despite getting a great start, I still managed to get involved in somebody else’s incident. I had to slam on the brakes to avoid a wayward Jake Giddings and was then pushed wide, which allowed the rest of the field through. I finished 18th but I’m grateful that I have another shot tomorrow. Hopefully it will be a better day.”
Modell – who celebrated his 23rd birthday today – charged up to fourth on lap one, but lost track position to Alex Morgan while attacking championship leader Josh Files for the final podium spot.
A determined Modell re-took fourth on lap six, while fellow rookie team-mate Josh Wakefield crossed the line in 8th and the One Call Insurance-backed Finlay Crocker fought excessive understeer to finish 16th.
Scuderia Vittoria Director, Danny Buxton, said: “The highlight of the day was Ronnie Klos’s fantastic qualifying performance. It was no fluke, as he kept pumping in the quick lap times and I think it will have been a great confidence boost for him.
“Of course, achieving a one-two-four in the race is brilliant. Stefan (Hodgetts) drove an immaculate race, Ant (Whorton-Eales) executed our plan to perfection at the start and Devon also produced a brilliant drive – he was third at one point, so a one-two-three result isn’t far off.”
Round 14 of the 2013 Renault UK Clio Cup is scheduled to begin at 14.42 tomorrow (Sunday 15 September) and will be broadcast live and in high definition on ITV4 and ITV4 HD.
For more information on Scuderia Vittoria’s racing activities, please ‘like’ the team’s Facebook page or follow @ScudVittoria on Twitter.