|
||||||||||
| Website design & hosting by BTCCPages. © Copyright 2002-2006 Paul Rivett All rights reserved. |
| Race Report - Rounds 1 & 2 - Brands Hatch | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Winning return to Clio Cup action for Paul Paul scored a race win on his return to action in the Elf Renault Clio Cup at Brands Hatch this weekend. He clinched victory in Sunday's race after a podium finish on Saturday. The first race of the season, on Saturday afternoon, saw the Renault Clios on top form right from the start. Starting from the second row, Paul immediately challenged second-placed Michael Doyle through Paddock Bend, and there was contact between the pair at the Druids hairpin. The result was that Tom Onslow-Cole held onto the lead, with Michael Doyle second and Paul in third. Onslow-Cole enjoyed a relatively easy run at the front, due, it would later emerge, to a blown head gasket in Paul's Clio. There was drama to end the race however, as Gavin Seager ended up in he gravel trap at Paddock Hill Bend, bringing out the red flags. Despite having just been passed by Doyle, Paul finished third when the result was declared at the end of the previous lap. With a fresh engine in the Boulevard Team Racing Clio for Sunday's race, there was another second row grid spot for Paul, but this time he immediately made second place his own, passing Michael Doyle into Paddock Hill Bend. Doyle slipped wide on the exit of Paddock and spun across the track, being collected by Mark Speller in a clash that brought the safety car out very early on. The restart gave Paul the opportunity to make a move on race leader, Tom Onslow-Cole, which duly saw the double champion hit the front of the pack for the first time in 2006. It was not an easy race however, as Paul was forced to defend right to the end. "We certainly didn't have the fastest car out there today", said Paul. "But I managed to get through into second at the first corner. Then the safety car was out and on the restart, or the lap after, Tom slipped a bit wide at Paddock and allowed me through. But I couldn't pull away from him, and from there on in, I just had to defend." "I knew that if I put a foot wrong anywhere, that would be it and he would be through. I had to make sure I drove within my limits and defend as much as I can. Defending for 17 or 18 laps or whatever it was, is hard work, but it was great fun as well. I really enjoyed it and it's great to be on the top step." On Saturday's race, Paul said, "It wasn't ideally where we wanted to be, back in third, but we did have an engine problem. The head gasket had gone in the engine, and was gradually going in qualifying and then through the race, so we put a new engine in the car last night, and we're back up there again now. We didn't anticipate it being quite as hot as this today. It heated up for the race, and the problem here is that when it gets hot, it starts to understeer, so we did suffer a bit with that in the race, which is why we didn't quite have the pace of Tom, but we held it together and managed to win it." He may not be heading the championship leaving Brands Hatch, but Paul is satisfied with his performance on the first weekend of his quest to become Clio Cup champion for the third time: "Two podiums from the first round…that's what we want to do. I've got a good record of finishing on the podium. I think we had a bout 17 podiums in 2004, out of 20 races, so let's see if we can do the same again this year." Rounds 3&4 of the 2006 Elf Renault Clio Cup take place at Oulton Park in Cheshire over the weekend of 13/14 May. |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
