SV Racing’s aim is to continue gapping the opposition when the Courier Connections Renault UK Clio Cup and Ginetta GT4 Supercup return to Norfolk’s Snetterton ‘300’ circuit (2-3 August) off the back of a long and productive mid-season hiatus.
Leading the UK Clio Cup Drivers’ Championship is Josh Cook, who was set to tighten his grip at the top of the standings during Croft’s most recent round in June, when a tap from multiple Champion Paul Rivett led to a retirement that blotted a superbly consistent run of success for the Bristol-based racer.
Nevertheless, with more race wins and podium finishes to his name than any of his competitors, Cook is undisturbed by his diminished points advantage and feels recent weekends spent instructing drivers on the lower tiers of SV Racing’s ‘stairway of talent’ will benefit him at Snetterton.
“I’ve spent far too much time out of a racecar – the mid-season break is far too long for my liking – and I’m really eager to get the season back underway at Snetterton,” said Cook. “It has been nice keeping busy and being in a motorsport environment instructing SVR’s guys in the Michelin Clio Cup Series and Junior Saloon Car Championship (JSCC) and I find it helps my driving too – the best way to learn is to teach, in my experience.
“However, I am keen to get back behind the wheel. I took a lot of damage in the Croft incident with (Paul) Rivett and SVR has been working flat out rebuilding my car, revamping it and rectifying issues we’ve had in previous rounds, which is promising. I had a podium finish at Snetterton last year and the circuit’s abundant mix of slow and high-speed corners requires precision, which plays to my strengths, especially as my guys always give me a great setup. I haven’t really thought about the championship and I don’t think I have anything to prove now. I just want to enjoy myself, keep pushing and performing as best I can.”
Croft also saw fellow KX recruit Ash Hand, who has been plagued with misfortune, earn a brace of podium finishes and propel himself to ninth in the points, while 2013 championship runner-up Alex Morgan and Lichfield’s podium finisher Ant Whorton-Eales lie fifth and sixth respectively.
Elsewhere in the SV Racing stable, David Pittard, has established himself as a real title prospect in the Michelin-backed Ginetta GT4 Supercup by regularly beating his vastly more experienced rivals.
A hard-fought victory last time out at Croft took his total race wins tally to three and the Letchworth Garden City driver expects to go from strength-to-strength in the concluding half of his debut GT4 Supercup season, as he attempts to narrow the gap to main title rival, Charlie Robertson.
“Snetterton is a good one for me as I’ve always gone well there and I shouldn’t need too much time to get up to speed, but we’ll see how I go,” said Pittard. “The car was sent back to Ginetta over the summer break and we think we may have found a cure to a fault that we’ve carried since Oulton Park, which meant I was slightly down on power. The fact I achieved a race win at Croft with less power and a puncture is confidence inspiring as I head to Norfolk and it gives me no excuses for not qualifying on the front row of the grid. Podium finishes would go down a treat and I believe I should be far more competitive than I was at Croft, where I struggled, but still salvaged something.”
SV Racing Director, Danny Buxton, said: “The summer break has been quite productive and we were able to use the time wisely, so we should reap the rewards on the track. It was nice to take a step back and spend some time with the cars after a frantic first half of the season and I have no doubt that SVR’s UK Clio Cup quartet and David (Pittard) in the Ginetta GT4 Supercup will be formidable at Snetterton. I hope we can replicate the results we achieved at Donington Park in April and extend SVR’s lead in the Entrants’ Trophy and Teams’ Championship. However, you always have to show respect to your opposition and without a doubt everybody else will be pushing hard to close the gap.”
Renault UK Clio Cup qualifying begins at 11.20 , with Round 11 at 16.40 on Saturday (2 August), while Round 12 will follow on Sunday (3 August).
Qualifying for the Michelin Ginetta GT4 Supercup is scheduled for 10.50, with the first of three races at 16.05 on Saturday (2 August) and the final two clashes on Sunday (3 August) at 9.50 and 16.05.
For more information on SV Racing, please visit the www.svracing.co.uk website, ‘like’ the team’sFacebook page or follow @SV_Racing on Twitter and Instagram.