The leading SV team will field a six-car attack on the Michelin Clio Cup Series with Protyre ‘Autumn Cup’ event at Rockingham Motor Speedway (16-17 November).
Consisting of both experienced Clio racers and fresh faces, the line-up will be headed by Renault UK Clio Cup racer Devon Modell and all will benefit from expert tutelege from 2009 British Touring Car Champion and current eBay Motors BMW driver, Colin Turkington.
Modell, aged 23 from Maidstone, concluded his maiden season in Britain’s premier one-make saloon car championship 12th overall, achieving a career best fourth place result at Rockingham, and is sure to be a force to be reckoned with in this weekend’s Autumn Cup.
“My maiden season in the UK Clio Cup was a very positive experience and, while I made a great deal of progress, I think I was unable to maximise some of my results through no fault of my own,” said Modell. “Podiums were tantalisingly close at times and I’d like to fulfil that potential in the Autumn Cup at Rockingham. There’s no reason why I can’t be a frontrunner all weekend long.”
Norway’s Tommy Ostgaard is a multiple race winner from the Roadcar division of the Michelin-backed Clio Cup Series and steps up to the Racecar class in this weekend’s Autumn Cup for his maiden outing in a third generation racing Clio on slick tyres.
“I’m thrilled to be racing in the main Race Series in the Autumn Cup,” said Ostgaard. “It will be a great experience in preparation for 2014. I’m particularly excited about working with SV and returning to Rockingham – one of my favourite circuits – and I’d like to thank Danny (Buxton) and his team for this opportunity. I hope to prove myself in a race car.”
Oldham’s Alex Walker, who celebrates his 19th birthday on Sunday (17 November), is preparing for a resplendent return to racing, having spent the last two years away due to financial constraints.
A prolific karting career spanning four years preceded successful single-seater campaigns in the 2011 Inter Steps and Formula Renault 2.0 UK Championships and the young charger is hoping to make an impact during his maiden Clio Cup outing at Rockingham with the intention of contesting a full UK Clio Cup campaign in 2014.
“I’ve recently completed an intensive testing programme with SV and I now have a fantastic opportunity to reignite my career,” said Walker. “I’ve taken massive strides forwards and adapted my driving technique to suit the front-wheel-drive Clio Cup cars with the help of Danny (Buxton) and feel ready for the challenges that lay ahead.
“My ambition is to contest the 2014 Renault UK Clio Cup as part of the KX Akademy. To be associated with a brand like KX would be a dream and I’m looking forward to demonstrating my potential in this weekend’s Michelin Clio Cup Series’ ‘Autumn Cup’ event at Rockingham.”
Legends Car Championship racer, Jamie Clarke, will make his Clio Cup debut at Rockingham this weekend.
The 33-year old from Formby is a former Scottish Legends Champion, as well as a leading light in the UK Championship and World Finals and will use the Autumn Cup event to continue acclimatising to front-wheel-driven Clio Cup cars on slick Michelin rubber and assessing his options for the 2014 season.
“I tested with SV a few months ago and I know I have a lot to learn,” said Clarke. “I’ll be treating the Autumn Cup as a test session to bed into the Clio Cup car, as they’re completely different to what I’m used to. I think I performed well during my test at Oulton Park and it will be fascinating to see if I’ve still got what it takes. If I’m competitive I’ll then start thinking about what we can do next year.”
Rounding out SV’s “ecclectic” Autumn Cup driver line-up will be 45-year old Michele Faissola and 60-year old Andrew Wright, both from London. Italian Faissola will arrive at Rockingham with no prior racing experience, while Wright comes off the back of three seasons of competition in the Mazda MX5 Championship and Lotus Cup UK, as well as selected Chevron and Funcup outings.
SV Director, Danny Buxton, said: “We have an eclectic mix of drivers for the Michelin Clio Cup Series Autumn Cup event at Rockingham, all with differing levels of experience in various formulas. They all have different ambitions and goals for the weekend and it will be a privilege helping them all achieve their objectives. Most have tested with us previously and have an idea of what they can do, but we just hope for a productive outing. It’s fantastic to welcome Colin Turkington aboard for this event – to have a driver of his calibre who has so much knowledge and experience to share will prove invaluable for our drivers and I look forward to working with him.”
Michelin Clio Cup Series’ first qualifying session will begin at 10.40 on Saturday (16 November), with race one at 12.45 later that same day. The second qualifying session is scheduled for 10.05 and the final race of the weekend at 11.55 on Sunday (17 November).
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