Ash Hand has the top step of the podium firmly in his sights after producing a feisty performance to claim a career-best second-place finish in the fiercely-contested Renault UK Clio Cup at Donington Park.
Hand’s preparations for his sophomore campaign in the single-make, ITV4-televised British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) support series were brutally interrupted by a sizeable 125mph testing shunt at Thruxton – the fastest circuit in the country – whilst grappling with slick tyres on a damp track surface.
With his SV Racing team facing a race against time to build a new car for the talented young Nuneaton star, the setback impacted upon the 2014 curtain-raiser at Brands Hatch, where he found himself significantly and uncharacteristically off the pace.
Much midnight oil was burned ahead of Donington to rectify the issues with the Sigma and QTS-backed machine – and those efforts paid off immediately, as Hand lapped third-fastest in practice and proceeded to qualify fourth and third, a mere six hundredths-of-a-second shy of pole position in a tremendously competitive field that saw the top five blanketed by less than two tenths.
The heavens opened the following day as the Clio Cup contenders prepared for lights-out, and in race one, the KX Akademy protégé initially struggled for confidence as he took to a wet track for the first time since his Thruxton ‘off’. After falling down the order to eighth, once Hand found his form he was consistently the fastest man on the circuit as he salvaged seventh at the chequered flag.
With the rain abating before race two, the highly-rated Maple Park ace found himself embroiled in a titanic and breathless tussle over second place, which he boldly made his own following a no-holds-barred duel with team-mate Alex Morgan that at one stage sent both cars skating across the gravel. In a battle of the bravest, it was Hand that prevailed, and the runner-up spoils were just reward for a gritty and determined display that revved his title challenge into life in style.
“After all the promise we had shown over the winter, Brands Hatch was a major disappointment,” reflected the 19-year-old Warwickshire hotshot and former karting champion. “The new car had only been built the previous weekend and wasn’t completed until the Thursday evening. The team did a fantastic job, but in hindsight, it was far too much of a rush and we encountered a lot of problems. The whole meeting was a struggle from start to finish.
“The SV Racing boys then worked really hard on the car between Brands and Donington, and as soon as I drove it on the practice day, I knew we were in much better shape. I was able to lap right up at the sharp end again, which left me feeling much more positive and looking forward to the weekend.
“Qualifying was a big step forward from Brands. I worked really well with my team-mate Josh Cook as we towed each other round – we were like a team within a team! There were a couple of laps when I could have taken pole, and whilst I didn’t quite string it all together, I was still happy to be on the pace and well in the mix.
“With no opportunity to re-acclimatise to the rain in race one, I was really tentative during the first few laps, but I gave myself a talking-to, got on with it and gradually settled back into the groove. The car was mega over the second half and I was able to take time back out of the leaders. Although there weren’t enough laps left to make any great inroads, the speed we had was hugely encouraging.
“The second race was just crazy! The first corner got pretty messy, which cost me a position, but I soon regained it and I was frustrated to see the safety car appear because the three of us in the lead had begun to break free from the chasing pack. As the SV Racing cars were all running line-astern at the front, the plan was to work together when the action resumed, but that rapidly went out of the window when one of my team-mates overtook me into Turn One!
“I recovered third and set about chasing down Morgan for second. Within four laps, I had caught him and managed to squeeze past through Coppice, but he came back at me into the final chicane. He was up on two wheels, and my only option was to go through the gravel to avoid him spearing into the side of me. I kept my foot in and once we both returned to the track, I was able to pull away. Although I then reduced the gap a little to Cook in the lead, I was never going to catch him in the time remaining.
“Overall, I’m really happy with how the weekend went. We took a quantum leap forward from Brands Hatch, and that really spurs me on for the next round at Thruxton. It’s a circuit I love, and my accident there doesn’t change that in the slightest. I want to keep this positive momentum going and after adding a second-place finish to the third I achieved last season, there’s only one spot on the podium still missing from my CV – so that’s the one I’ll be gunning for!”
