As it stands on the cusp of title glory, the championship-leading SV Racing team is delighted to welcome Simon Horrobin to its Courier Connections Renault UK Clio Cup ranks for the championship’s final two rounds, starting with Rockingham Motor Speedway this weekend (30-31 August).
Horrobin, owner of the Specialized Group – a one-stop-shop manufacturing and engineering firm based in Rochester – was a latecomer to Karting and made his competitive debut at the age of 17 before going on to win numerous championship titles, including the Rye House Gold Cup, Bernie Turney Trophy and the Tilbury Kart Championship.
Sadly, the Kent-domiciled racer from Essex was forced to put his motorsport ambitions on the backburner after sustaining serious injuries in a tanker explosion that left him hospitalised for months on end.
However, the 48-year old made a remarkable recovery and a resplendent return to racing in the Smart 4Two Cup, taking a race-converted Smart Brabus to countless podium finishes, back-to-back wins at Snetterton and Donington Park and, most notably, a sensational victory in a 24-hour endurance race at Belgium’s legendary Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps over the course of two seasons in 2011 and 2012.
Horrobin seamlessly switched to the Ford Fiesta Championship in 2013, achieving a season’s best third place result on his way to the Masters Championship crown and sixth overall, and is on course to replicate the feat in 2014.
Eager to continue moving “onwards and upwards”, Horrobin will make his debut in Britain’s premier one-make saloon car championship in a fifth SV Racing-prepared Clio at Rockingham Motor Speedway this weekend and is relishing the opportunity, saying: “Since returning to racing, I have been looking for a championship that boasts a level playing field and tests a drivers’ ability. We have been working on a budget and putting together deals to run our own car next season and, while organising a test with Danny Buxton and SV Racing, an opportunity to race in the Courier Connections Renault UK Clio Cup arose.
“SVR has been more than accommodating and I’m really looking forward to working and racing with the team this weekend. Given that I have never sat in a Clio Cup car before, I expect it to be a challenge, but with a team like SV Racing behind me I’m sure we can be competitive and finish well. Onwards and upwards!”
Former Clio Cup Champion and BTCC driver Danny Buxton began an exciting new chapter in 2014, launching a brand new solo venture under the guise of SV Racing, and stands on the verge of winning the coveted UK Clio Cup Teams’ Championship at the first time of asking.
The Wettenhall, Surrey-based SV Racing outfit enters the penultimate round of the super-competitive UK Clio Cup at Rockingham with a 194-point lead over Team Pyro and will seal the title if it emerges from this weekend’s first race with 181 points in its pocket.
Buxton said: “I’m really excited to welcome Simon (Horribin) to the SV Racing fold, particularly at such a critical and potentially momentous point of the season for the team. I’ve be aware of Simon and have kept a close eye on his results for a while and he’s synonymous with the front of the field, so he was naturally one of the first candidates when an opportunity came up to fill a fifth Clio. He’s interested in entering the UK Clio Cup full-time next year and this will definitely be a tough baptism for him, particularly as he will be testing during the race weekend. However, the cream rises to the top, there’s no pressure to perform and I know he’ll be fine.”
Qualifying for Rounds 15 and 16 of the Courier Connections Renault UK Clio Cup is scheduled to get underway at 10.50 on Saturday (6 September) and this will be followed by the first of the weekend’s two races at 15.00, with the second encounter at 13.00 the next day (Sunday 7 September).
Michelin Ginetta GT4 Supercup qualifying will begin at 12.10 on Saturday (6 September), with Round 22 later that day 1t 17.10 and the final two races on Sunday (7 September) at 9.40 and 15.12.
For more information on SV Racing, please visit the www.svracing.co.uk website, ‘like’ the team’s Facebook page or follow @SV_Racing on Twitter and Instagram.