Total Control Racing’s Rob Smith aims to end his second season in the ultra-competitive Renault UK Clio Cup on a high at Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit next weekend, 12th/13th October, as he bids to try and match the impressive top six result he achieved at the Kent venue at the start of the year.
Having begun the campaign in very impressive form on the shorter Indy Circuit configuration at the end of March during rounds one and two, where he took ninth and sixth place finishes, the Telford driver is determined to conclude the championship just as strongly on the 2.43-mile GP track.
Rob is feeling especially confident ahead of his return to action in the Clio Cup having claimed his maiden ‘tin top’ podium at Donington Park Grand Prix Circuit last weekend, on his competitive debut in the MINI Challenge.
Fresh from gaining his richly deserved first silverware of the year, the Goodride Performance Tyres, Grouptyre and BMTR-backed racer aims to keep the momentum going as he strives for a season’s best performance in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship-supporting Clios. He will also race at Brands Hatch with welcome additional support from local Grouptyre member EG Wholesale.
“I’m looking forward to being back on the GP circuit at Brands, it’s a fantastic track, a real challenge and very enjoyable to drive”, said the 21-year-old, “You always want to end any season on a high but with the bad luck we’ve had this year, it really would be great to get back to the sort of results we had at the beginning of the season – especially for our guests from EG Wholesale.”
After making such a strong start to the year during the previous visit to Brands Hatch six months ago, Rob’s season then unfortunately became one of misfortune with a series of problems and incidents impacting badly on his championship placing.
Even so, the pace for regular top 10 results has been there and during the most recent couple of events all-important consistency was achieved. Typically though, as has been the case most of the year, the Shropshire racer’s efforts were ultimately thwarted by bad luck but his boost from the MINI podium means he gets back behind the wheel of his 2.0-litre Renault Clio feeling confident.
Rob will face a bigger challenge than usual next weekend, however, as he will be forced to miss the two pre-event testing sessions on Friday, 11th October, due to commitments at Loughborough University where he is beginning a Masters degree in Automotive Systems Engineering.
“Getting on the podium at Donington has really given me a lift and I know I’ve got the pace to be in the lead group in Clios”, he added, “We’ve said it all year, qualifying has been the main thing holding us back – if we get that right, we should be on for some good results. Having to miss the Friday tests isn’t ideal, but hopefully we can go straight into qualifying and hit the ground running.”
Rob’s first track action at Brands Hatch, round 15 and 16 qualifying, will take place on Saturday, 12th October, at 10.50 ahead of the weekend’s first race at 16.30. On Sunday, 13th October, round 16 will start at 13.30 and will be screened live on ITV4, ITV4 HD and streamed online at www.itv.com/btcc
Provisional 2013 Renault UK Clio Cup Driver Standings (after Rd14 – inc. drop score):14th Rob Smith, 100pts
Provisional 2013 Renault UK Clio Cup ‘Graduate Cup’ Standings (after Rd14 – inc. drop score):10th Rob Smith, 160pts
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