SV Racing (SVR) is confident of a strong showing in Rounds 9 and 10 of Michelin Clio Cup Series and Rounds 11 and 12 of the Junior Saloon Car Championship (JSCC) on the Snetterton ‘300’ circuit (30-31 August).
The burgeoning Clio Cup Series and JSCC both travel to Snetterton for their pivotal penultimate rounds and the leading SVR team heads to the Norfolk countryside with intent, gunning for podium glory in the hotly-contested, entry-level tin-top categories.
Alex Reed, aged 16, is a welcome addition to Danny Buxton’s rapidly evolving ‘stairway of talent’, joining SVR’s Clio Cup Series ranks alongside KX Akademy recruit and Courier Connections Renault UK Clio Cup regular, Ant Whorton-Eales.
The Horsham-domiciled young gun took his ARDS test in 2012 after a seminal career in Karting, and made sporadic appearances in the Ford Fiesta Junior Championship before embarking on a full campaign in 2013, scaling the winners’ rostrum on several occasions, en-route to fourth in the final standings.
Reed contested the 2013 Ginetta Junior Winter Series and notched up a podium on his debut, and the A-Level student is duly hoping to make a big splash on his maiden Clio Cup Series outing at Snetterton, where he achieved the first win of his car racing career.
“I’m feeling pretty confident ahead of my debut in the Michelin Clio Cup Series and I don’t think it’s going to be much of a shock,” said Reed. “The Clio is a really good, proper racecar and it’s a bit of an upgrade from what I’ve been driving previously in the Fiesta Junior Championship. It’s quite an impressive car, as it’s faster and there’s a lot more grip, but I’m expecting to be pretty quick straight out of the blocks and my goal is to achieve a couple of podium finishes. Having somebody as experienced as Ant Whorton-Eales as my teammate will be great. I’m sure he will be able to share a few tips and I hope to benefit from his knowledge of the car, but he will certainly be a good benchmark.”
Whorton-Eales, meanwhile, is in his second year as part of the prestigious KX Akademy scholarship programme and has been a regular podium finisher in the headlining UK Clio Cup this season.
The Lichfield racer lies fifth in the standings after a fruitful weekend at Scotland’s Knockhill circuit, where he achieved another top-three result, and is trying to accrue as much track time as possible to boost his chances of closing in on UK Clio Cup points leader and teammate Josh Cook, as the title race continues to gather pace.
Title glory is also on James Dorlin’s radar, as the Barnsley youngster enters the penultimate round of the JSCC at Snetterton with a 19-point cushion over main championship rival Ben Colburn.
Illness and mechanical troubles forced the 15-year old into damage limitation mode at Oulton Park and Brands Hatch recently, and Dorlin is hungry to return to his customary position on the top step of the podium this weekend at Snetterton, to at least bolster his points advantage ahead of Croft Circuit’s much-anticipated season finale (20-21 September).
“I have a 19-point lead in the championship but, with 25 points for a win, one DNF could spoil it for us,” said Dorlin. “I’m going into the weekend with high hopes and I really hope to be back on top after suffering mechanical issues and not being on form last time out at Brands Hatch. I think we have everything sorted now and it’s no longer about damage limitation. I’d love to win again, especially as the meeting will be broadcast on television, and I’m quite confident that I have a good feel for the Snetterton ‘300’ circuit, having spent a decent day of testing there with my driver coach about three weeks ago.”
The WIX Filters-backed Tom Stockton sits fifth in the JSCC Drivers’ standings and is targeting the winners’ rostrum too, although the Nantwich charger would be satisfied with consistent top five finishes at Snetterton, a circuit he has a natural affinity for.
Stockston said: “The objective is to get in the top five and hopefully break onto the podium. I spent one day at Snetterton, testing in mixed conditions and I grew quite fond of it, as I tend to go well as the fast, flowing tracks. I had a couple of offs while finding the limits in the wet, but I loved my time there and I think I should do very well. Ultimately, it comes down to how much testing you’re able to do and I’m more prepared than I’ve ever been, so it would be great to get some good results and television coverage for my sponsors, including WIX Filters.”
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.