Rob Smith is confidently gearing up for the penultimate two rounds of the Renault UK Clio Cup season at Rockingham next weekend, 14th/15th September, with high hopes of achieving a pair of top 10 finishes – particularly at a track where he enjoyed good success during his maiden season in 2012.Ahead of rounds 13 and 14, the Telford racer is equal 14th in the overall standings but in the thick of an incredibly closely contested battle with only four points separating him from the series top 12. In the Graduate Cup class, for younger competitors, he currently holds ninth position.During the previous event at Snetterton in early August, the Total Control Racing driver produced impressive race pace and ran comfortably in the upper order in both encounters. Incidents in each race, however, proved costly and prevented Rob from adding to his year’s tally of four top 10 results.Importantly, though, the 21-year-old proved his front-running credentials and ran as high as seventh place early on during round 12. With vital championship points having slipped through his fingers at Snetterton, Rob is determined to make amends during the annual visit to Rockingham.“It’s really close between a few of us just outside the championship top 10, two consistently good scoring rounds at Rockingham could make a big difference for us”, said the Shropshire driver, “I’m feeling quite confident, we had a good run there last year in my first season in Clios and the pace we showed at Snetterton last month was easily good enough for top 10 race finishes.“We have had some ups and downs this year, mainly with qualifying putting us on the back-foot too often, so starting as high up the grid as we can is a major priority. If we can get on those first four or five rows then I know we can race strongly and take away some good results.”Helping to support Rob’s bid next weekend at Rockingham, as during his debut season in Clios, will be sponsor B.A Bush Tyres which has extensive wholesale and retail distribution outlets across the Lincolnshire and South Yorkshire regions. The business, a key Grouptyre member, will join regular backers Goodride Performance Tyres and BMTR.In other news away from the track, during the five week break since he was last in competitive action in the Clio Cup, Rob celebrated the culmination of three years of hard study at Loughborough University by graduating with a degree in Automotive Materials Engineering.With no time to rest, though, he is now preparing to embark on a Masters degree in Automotive Systems Engineering – also at Loughborough – with the course beginning in October prior to the Clio Cup season finale at Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit.Returning to his immediate racing commitments, following pre-event practice at Rockingham next Friday, 13th September, qualifying and the opening race of the weekend will take place on Saturday, 14th September, at 10.50 and 16.20 respectively. Round 14, which will be screened live on ITV4 and ITV4 HD, will get underway at around 14.40 on Sunday, 15th September.Provisional 2013 Renault UK Clio Cup Driver Standings (after Rd12):14th Rob Smith, 91ptsProvisional 2013 Renault UK Clio Cup ‘Graduate Cup’ Standings (after Rd12):9th Rob Smith, 148pts