In the realms of top-level one-make saloon car racing in the UK, few drivers have enjoyed the same sort of success as perennially under-funded AirAisa Renault Clio Cup UK racer Paul Rivett.

Champion of the hugely competitive category in 2002 and 2004, and also a double ‘Winter Cup’ winner, the 32-year-old is currently leading the 2011 championship ahead of the start of the second half of the season at Snetterton as he aims for a record-breaking third main season title.

With the necessary budget, there’s no question at all Rivett would have been in touring cars or top level sports cars years ago – his career is one which proves talent alone in motor racing isn’t enough to climb the ladder. Sponsorship and commercial backing is key.

If it were down to ability, Rivett would be one of the UK’s most celebrated stars of the track. As it stands, aside from his successful career in Clio Cup he can say with pride he took 2009 Formula One World Champion Jenson Button down to the wire when they raced together in cadet Karting in the early 1990s. In the end, a broken shoulder prevented Rivett from racing in the title decider.

With such an impressive career to call upon, almost entirely on Michelin tyres, selecting one race as his most memorable ever proved difficult – so he’s put forward two instead!

First ever Clio Cup race, first Clio win!

“My first ever Clio race at Brands Hatch GP Circuit in 2001 has to be a contender”, explains Rivett, “I was racing with Stancombe Vehicle Engineering (the team he is contesting the 2011 season with), we’d had very limited testing and there were some really great names in the championship, such as Tim Mullen and Danny Buxton. There must have been over 10 champions from different categories.

“Before that race, I’d only done two years in cars – one in Ford Fiestas in 1999 and in 2000 I went on the short ovals in America. Anyway, we came into Clios and won the first race! We certainly turned some heads, everyone was asking ‘where’s this guy come from’ and suddenly I had lots of attention.

“We didn’t win another race until the end of the season but we finished fourth in the championship which was great. Nobody knew who we were so to do that in the first race was a special moment.

“The other really memorable one was in 2002 in Clios on Silverstone’s International Circuit. I had an off early on and was pretty much in last place. From there, I came back through picking off driver after driver, lap after lap. With about three laps to go, the last one to overtake was Andrew Kirkaldy.

“Heading to the hairpin on the last lap, he led by about 10 car lengths but for whatever reason he lost concentration and made a mistake and that gave me the chance I needed to take the lead and win. It was a fantastic race. It’s so hard to pick out my best memory as there have been so many great races in Clios – those two do stand out though.”

Source: http://motorsport.michelin.co.uk/race-of-my-life-paul-rivett