Dixon Back On Clio Podium To Bolster TCR Title Bid

With only two races remaining in the 2011 AirAsia Renault Clio Cup UK, Total Control Racing's James Dixon is one of five drivers who will go into the season finale with a chance of lifting the coveted title after securing his seventh podium of the season at Rockingham on Sunday, 18th September.Added to the sixth place he achieved in Saturday's race, Dixon is back into second position in the championship standings - just three points shy of the lead - and he now stands a superb chance of returning the Clio Cup title to Wednesbury-based TCR for the first time since 2006.Starting round 14 on Sunday afternoon from third on the grid, Dixon moved into second at Deene Hairpin on the opening lap and saw off a determined challenge from title rival James Colburn with an inch-perfect drive. Never able to relax, during the second half of the encounter in particular, Dixon performed well and did precisely what he needed to ahead of his home races a fortnight from now.Team-mate Mark Proctor had a great start and fantastic first lap to climb to the fringe of the top 12 from the back row of the grid and after an entertaining duel with fellow Masters Cup runner Darren Wilson, the TCR man ultimately had to settle for second in class in 12th position overall. Andy Gorton did manage to get in between the pair at the mid-point of the race but Proctor worked his way back past and fended him off by just 0.2 seconds at the chequered flag - the battle enabling Wilson to edge 1.8 seconds clear in the last few laps.Nicolas Hamilton recorded his 12th points-scoring finish of the season with 14th position after an entertaining duel with Mark Gibbons. Following some close action during the mid-part of the race, Hamilton managed to pull over 1.6 seconds clear by lap 12 to seal the position before Gibbons then crashed out at the final corner of the last lap.In the Michelin Ginetta GT Supercup race, the first in the category's history to feature a mandatory pit-stop to change two wheels, TCR's championship contender Carl Breeze had high hopes of adding another win to the victory he achieved in Saturday's sprint race.Starting from pole position, thanks to the round 21 result, Breeze wasn't able to make the getaway he wanted and slipped to sixth by the time he rounded Deene Hairpin before some robust contact over the first few laps led to problems which would surface to his, and the team's, cost later on.Dropping to seventh on lap three, Breeze still had a chance of a good result to keep the pressure on championship leader Tom Sharp but when the TCR ace made his pit-stop at the end of the fifth tour, the earlier contact had resulted in damage to his Ginetta G55's air-hose.The car, therefore, couldn't rise on its air-jacks so the team had to manually raise it in order to complete the mandatory change of two wheels. Costing a lot of time, the TCR crew did manage to get the job done with a great effort but the issue meant Breeze was only able to rejoin a long way down the order. He eventually finished in 14th place overall but with Sharp also encountering problems with a lengthy pit-stop, Breeze rounded-out the weekend within five points of his rival on total scores and just three points shy, provisionally, with the category's drop-score ruling applied."We're really disappointed for Carl there was the problem with the air-hose after some contact before the pit-stops but he's still in a good position in the championship and there's everything to play for", said TCR team principal Lee Brookes."In Clios, James did exactly what he needed to by finishing on the podium and the championship there is wide open - we're more determined than ever to try and win back the Clio title. Mark and Nic raced well again, they both had some good battles which is always great to see."Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit in Kent will host the finale of the AirAsia Renault Clio Cup UK title battle just two weeks from now over the weekend 1st/2nd October and the event will also feature the penultimate three rounds of the Michelin Ginetta GT Supercup.Provisional 2011 AirAsia Renault Clio Cup UK Driver Standings (after Rd14):2nd James Dixon, 295pts; 10th Tom Grice, 150pts; 15th Mark Proctor, 97pts; 16th Nicolas Hamilton, 90ptsProvisional 2011 Michelin Ginetta GT Supercup Driver Standings (after Rd22):2nd Carl Breeze, 548pts; 9th Joachim Ritter, 124pts; 17th Tim Harvey, 35pts

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