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| Race Report - Rounds 13 & 14 - Snetterton | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Two second place finishes mark successful Snetterton weekend It was damp and dismal at Snetterton for the first race of the weekend on Saturday afternoon, but it was a bright performance from Paul that saw him on the podium once again. Two second place finishes helped Paul make up a little bit of ground in the championship race. Paul qualified second on the grid for the first race, with only Martin Byford ahead of him. A quick start put Paul in the lead at the first corner, with Byford just behind. The two leaders started to break away from the rest of the pack and Paul had a 2.7 second lead on lap six. Unfortunately, Paul's worn slick tyres saw him drop back into the grasps of Byford, whose pace on a wetter than anticipated track was enough for him to take the lead. Paul stayed close but settled for second at the chequered flag. There were drier conditions for race two, for which Paul started from the second row of the grid. Another fast getaway saw Paul emerge from the first corner in the lead. Byford managed to slip past into the lead, leaving championship leader Tom Onslow-Cole to challenged Paul for second spot for the first couple of laps, before the youngster got a little too close to Paul's Boulevard Team Racing Clio and came off worse in the resulting contact. Following a brief safety car period, Paul again challenged Byford at the front, but he was unable find a way past, especially once the race leader broke the toe. However, it was another second place finish to end a successful weekend of racing. "Two good results at what is probably my worst circuit - so we can't say better than that", was the reaction from Paul after the second race. "The only guy that's beaten us this weekend isn't really in the championship race anyway. It's closed the gap down a little bit, but whether we can do it by the end of the year, I don't know. It's asking a lot, but it's nice to be a little bit closer anyway." "We need a lot of luck to have any chance of winning the championship, but if Tom keeps making mistakes like he has this weekend then it could happen. We'll just have to wait and see I guess." "It's good to have someone like Martin at the front. I've raced with him before and we've always had great races together. Back in 2002 when Martin was last in the series, he was always the guy that I could race closely and fairly with. We give each other respect out there, and I think that's how it should be with everybody really." Rounds 15 & 16 of the 2006 Elf Renault Clio Cup take place at the Renault Festival at Donington Park over the weekend of 9/10 September. |
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