Ash Hand’s tireless preparations for his sophomore campaign in the fiercely-contested Renault UK Clio Cup have left the talented Nuneaton star in ‘confident’ spirits ahead of the Brands Hatch curtain-raiser later this month – and his new team staggered by his ‘incredible raw pace’.
As a karting graduate turned car racing debutant in 2013, Hand was one of the standout performers of the season, ascending the podium at Rockingham, tallying two top five and 13 top ten finishes from 16 starts and frequently qualifying right up at the sharp end of the 27-strong grid in the single-make, ITV4-televised British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) support series.
That secured the highly-rated Maple Park ace a superb ninth position in the final standings and the coveted accolade of best-placed rookie – and also earned him promotion to the prestigious KX Akademy, fronted by two-time BTCC Champion Jason Plato. Having joined forces with front-running outfit SV Racing for 2014, Hand has spent the past couple of months getting to grips with the sophisticated fourth-generation, turbocharged 1.6-litre Clio Cup race car.
“I’m getting on really well with all the boys at SV and have established an excellent relationship with the mechanics and engineers,” he revealed. “We’ve been fast everywhere we’ve been in testing, which is tremendously promising for the season ahead.
“I’m definitely feeling the benefit of being part of the KX Akademy, from the mentoring sessions with Jason to fitness training at Pro Performance and workshops at Base Performance Simulators – and I’ve already been able to put some of what I’ve learned to good effect in my driving.
“The new Clio is really responsive, physical and technical; it invites you to be more aggressive, and the driver can make more of a difference than before. It didn’t take me long to feel comfortable and it seems to suit my driving style more than the old model – I immediately enjoyed the new car. That said, it also bites you a lot harder as soon as you make a mistake...”
Indeed, the 19-year-old Warwickshire hotshot discovered exactly how hard the new Clio can ‘bite’ with a 125mph ‘off’ at Thruxton, the fastest circuit in the country. Reflecting that the accident helped him to ‘find the car’s limits’ and taught him just how far he could push it, his maturity in swiftly regaining his composure and getting straight back down to business fired an ominous warning to his adversaries.
“I’m feeling really confident heading into Brands Hatch,” Hand asserted. “The aim is to bank some really solid points and hopefully finish on the podium. I’m under no illusions that it’s going to be a fiercely-competitive season, and we’ll soon find out who has done their homework best over the winter. With so many drivers capable of fighting up at the front, consistency will be the name of the game this year – and ultimately, what will win the championship.”
Aside from Thruxton, the Sigma and QTS-backed car has been lapping up the testing miles in recent weeks at Brands Hatch, Donington Park, Oulton Park and Croft – all of which the championship will visit during the opening half of the campaign. SV Racing team owner Danny Buxton admits that he could scarcely be any happier with his young protégé’s integration into the squad.
“I’m extremely pleased with the way Ash has settled in,” affirmed the 2001 Clio Cup UK Champion and former BTCC racer. “When you come to a new team, it always takes a little bit of time to understand how different people work and to get used to a different environment – but with his infectious personality, Ash fit in almost straightaway.
“What has struck me the most so far has been his incredible raw pace – he has been amongst the quickest drivers on the track everywhere we’ve been, which is hugely impressive and has taken everybody in the team aback somewhat. I think that also shines through more in this car than the old one – Ash has quite a distinctive style behind the wheel, and the new Clio really allows him to exploit that.
“Thruxton was obviously a little bit of a setback, but at the same time, it provided a real test of Ash’s character to see how quickly he could bounce back and how quickly he could return to the pace – and the answer was very quickly indeed. Without putting the team manager’s curse on him, all I ask of Ash is to carry his current form over into the race season and if he can achieve that, we will be doing just fine.”
