CLIO CUP ANTICIPATION BUILDS AS INTEREST IS SUSTAINED

A total of 11 teams have already signalled their intent to compete in the 2008 ELF Renault Clio Cup just one week after the end of a record-breaking year in 2007. A pre-registration process began at the 2007 ELF Renault Clio Winter Cup and has seen seven existing teams and four new squads register their interest.

The pre-registration process has been introduced for all three Renault Sport UK Championships in anticipation of huge interest. The 2007 ELF Renault Clio Cup saw a record 44 entries, while the 2007 Formula Renault UK with Michelin Winter Cup reached a capacity of 32 in record time.

In 2008 there will be a limit of 36 entries in the ELF Renault Clio Cup with the qualification format reverting to a single 30-minute timed session setting the grids for two championship races per weekend. Teams who pre-register will be the first to receive registration forms when championship registration opens in January.

Nine of the 10 Clio Cup race meetings in 2007 featured capacity grids, with Z Speed Racing’s Martin Byford (Colchester) winning the inaugural title to feature the New Clio Cup race car ahead of Momo UK’s Stefan Hodgetts (Redditch) and JHR Developments’ Robert Lawson (Richmond, N Yorks).

Reigning Entrants champion JHR Developments leads the way with an expected five cars on the 2008 grid, followed by Robertshaw Racing, Team Pyro and Full Speed Racing with four each. Momo UK has indicated its intention to run three cars. Privateers Alex Osborne (Northampton) of APO Motorsport and Robert Gaffney (Waltham Abbey) of EPS UK have also pre-registered.

Sellens Engineering is among the new teams that have pre-registered, planning to run at least two cars next season. Team RSA, managed by former Formula Renault UK Team Manager Rob Austin, also plans to run two cars as does former British Touring Car racer Nick Leason’s NJL Racing. Tech 4 Motorsport, managed by John Copland, will enter one car.

Commenting on the early flood of interest, Championship Manager Simon North said: “This is fantastic news for the ELF Renault Clio Cup and the success of 2007 looks set to continue in 2008. If the plans of every team pre-registered so far came together we already have a grid of 29 Clios. We are at an early stage and will have to wait to see what happens in the new year but the signs are positive for another exciting season of Clio Cup racing.”

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