I won two hospitality tickets to the BTCC at Donnington Park courtesy of the Renault Clio Cup Championship. I also won a Renault Sport Jacket and a paddock tour.
The day arrived and at 5am it was time to get up and drive the 166 miles to Donnington Park. With my dad as my companion and navigator for the day we set off. We arrive in good time, park and find the Clio Cup Race Centre, check in and have some breakfast. Once finished we have a wonder around the paddock and take some photos. I love a busy paddock as there is so much going on.
It's then time to watch some racing, after a lot of map reading we have a look at one possibility.
It's then time to watch some racing, after a lot of map reading we have a look at one possibility.
It's initially we decide on an area near Redgate corner but the big fence obstructs the view of the track. After spying the infield where you can see Hollywood corner, the Craner Curves, the Old Hairpin and up to Macleans we take our place. The weather is overcast, with everything being so open, the wind really does make things cold. Soon we hear the engines starting and the first cars make their way around the track to the grid. The first race of the day is the Renault Clio Cup. These are based on the road going Clio's but more will be learned about these cars later.
The race begins and the cars on the opening laps are packed together. We were treated to some really good close racing. After one of the closest battles in the championship's history Ash Hand took the chequered flag, winning his first race of his career.
Next up is the Formula MSA - Certified by FIA Powered by Ford Eco Boost Championship. These are single seater racing cars that have a Mygale FIA F4 Monocoque chassis powered by Ford's Eco Boost engine. This is a 1.6 litre engine that is tuned to produce 160BHP. This will carry on the traditions of Formula Ford allowing juniors to race. This again is a very close and hard fought race Matheus Leist emerged the winner.
Time for a cup of tea before the BTCC cars race. As we take our place once more the parade lap begins. Time to race, Jason Plato storms past Gordon Shedden and Colin Turkington to take the lead after the first lap and remained there to take his first win of the year.
Time for a cup of tea before the BTCC cars race. As we take our place once more the parade lap begins. Time to race, Jason Plato storms past Gordon Shedden and Colin Turkington to take the lead after the first lap and remained there to take his first win of the year.
After this we walk back through the paddock and see Jason Plato take his trophy for winning the race.
While the Ginetta's take to the track we arrive at the Clio Cup Race Centre to get warm and have some lunch. When we arrive we sit down near a large TV to watch the Ginetta's race and we ate lunch. I had Swordfish with green beans, potatoes and couscous while my dad had Lamb Tagine with the same sides. The Ginetta race is won by Carl Breeze. Once lunch is finished I introduce myself to Pauline Hillon, the Co-Ordinator for the Clio Cup. We have a quick chat and she asks how far we have travelled and what we think. After our chat, Pauline sets off making sure that the race centre is clean and tidy and making sure that everyone is ok. We meet Carl McKellar who is taking us on the paddock tour. He gives us a quick talk and tells us that we are going to have a talk from WDE Motorsport and we will meet Clio Cup driver Paul Rivetts. I have a quick chat with Carl as he leads us to the WDE Motorsport paddock area. We arrive and we are ushered in to a tight little area with two Clio's that are ready to race later on in the day. Paul introduces himself and tells us that he has raced in the Clio Cup Championship for ten years and has won the championship three times. He is very passionate about the team and the racing as are the rest of the team. Paul then goes on to tell us about the cars. The Clio Cup cars have a standard body shell and the factory 1.6 litre turbo engine.
This is where the road car similarities end. They install racing suspension, steering, exhaust, brakes and gearbox. The Clio Cup cars also have a limited slip differential that can be adjusted. You have 12 springs you can remove in pairs but you must have 6 springs as a minimum depending on the setup of the car. They are able to change the camber settings to get the best out of the car. Paul then goes on to talk about the hours involved especially if something goes wrong. They are able to get most spares to where they are fairly quickly and then do what is needed to get the car running and ready to race. After the race, all of the team know what checks will need doing and they set about their work quickly. We then see some on board footage from Paul's car. It's amazing to see from a drivers view just how close you can race and not take your opponent's off the track. Originally, Paul finished in fourth place but due to a new rule, 3rd place driver Ashley Sutton was given a 5 second penalty for exceeding track limits so Paul took third place. Paul then explains that both he and the team race because they love racing, and not to make vast sums of money. They are paid but the hours they work are often long and hard. Paul comes across as a hugely like-able person and is very committed to racing at a very high standard. As we leave I thank Paul for his time.
While the Ginetta's take to the track we arrive at the Clio Cup Race Centre to get warm and have some lunch. When we arrive we sit down near a large TV to watch the Ginetta's race and we ate lunch. I had Swordfish with green beans, potatoes and couscous while my dad had Lamb Tagine with the same sides. The Ginetta race is won by Carl Breeze. Once lunch is finished I introduce myself to Pauline Hillon, the Co-Ordinator for the Clio Cup. We have a quick chat and she asks how far we have travelled and what we think. After our chat, Pauline sets off making sure that the race centre is clean and tidy and making sure that everyone is ok. We meet Carl McKellar who is taking us on the paddock tour. He gives us a quick talk and tells us that we are going to have a talk from WDE Motorsport and we will meet Clio Cup driver Paul Rivetts. I have a quick chat with Carl as he leads us to the WDE Motorsport paddock area. We arrive and we are ushered in to a tight little area with two Clio's that are ready to race later on in the day. Paul introduces himself and tells us that he has raced in the Clio Cup Championship for ten years and has won the championship three times. He is very passionate about the team and the racing as are the rest of the team. Paul then goes on to tell us about the cars. The Clio Cup cars have a standard body shell and the factory 1.6 litre turbo engine.
This is where the road car similarities end. They install racing suspension, steering, exhaust, brakes and gearbox. The Clio Cup cars also have a limited slip differential that can be adjusted. You have 12 springs you can remove in pairs but you must have 6 springs as a minimum depending on the setup of the car. They are able to change the camber settings to get the best out of the car. Paul then goes on to talk about the hours involved especially if something goes wrong. They are able to get most spares to where they are fairly quickly and then do what is needed to get the car running and ready to race. After the race, all of the team know what checks will need doing and they set about their work quickly. We then see some on board footage from Paul's car. It's amazing to see from a drivers view just how close you can race and not take your opponent's off the track. Originally, Paul finished in fourth place but due to a new rule, 3rd place driver Ashley Sutton was given a 5 second penalty for exceeding track limits so Paul took third place. Paul then explains that both he and the team race because they love racing, and not to make vast sums of money. They are paid but the hours they work are often long and hard. Paul comes across as a hugely like-able person and is very committed to racing at a very high standard. As we leave I thank Paul for his time.
My dad and I make our way back to our spot on the infield for the Ginetta Juniors race. The race is underway and the sun comes out. This again provides some close racing with lots of action. This was won by Jonathan Hadfield.
It's then time for the second race for the BTCC. Colin Turkington passed pole man Gordon Shedden on the opening lap, this brought on a battle between the two until Turkington pulled away to win. The battle for second place was very entertaining with Matt Neal taking it.
The final race we would watch today is the final Clio Cup race. We were cheering on Paul Rivetts as he battled for fourth place but this battle would be won by Ash Hand. The winner of the race was Ant Whorton-Eales.
With that race over we decided now would be the best time to head for home, we will watch the remaining races at home.
The final race we would watch today is the final Clio Cup race. We were cheering on Paul Rivetts as he battled for fourth place but this battle would be won by Ash Hand. The winner of the race was Ant Whorton-Eales.
With that race over we decided now would be the best time to head for home, we will watch the remaining races at home.
I would highly recommend going to one of these meetings, especially if you are not a racing fan. These drivers, teams and staff really work hard to bring you the highest standard of racing in the UK.
I once again extend my thanks to Pauline Hillon, Carl McKellar, Paul Rivetts and WDE Motorsport for making us feel welcome and giving us their time.
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