Ash Hand was one of the quickest men in the field as the fiercely-contested 2014 Renault UK Clio Cup paid its annual visit to high-speed Thruxton, and whilst his promise and pace did not ultimately yield the results he deserved for his efforts, he nonetheless proved that he will be a force to be reckoned with from here on in.
Thruxton is not only the most formidably fast circuit in Britain, but it was also the scene of a heart-stopping 125mph testing shunt for Hand pre-season. If he had any nerves about returning, then the talented young Nuneaton star hid them well and was immediately in the mix in qualifying in his Sigma and QTS-backed car. Even if the controversy over track limits cost him a better starting position for the weekend’s two races, he was still well in contention from sixth and fifth on the grid and best-placed of the SV Racing with KX quartet.
In the opening encounter in the single-make, ITV4-televised British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) support series, Hand initially found himself baulked by a stalled car in front of him on the line, before swiftly setting about scything through the order, lapping as the fastest driver on the circuit and muscling his way assertively past a number of adversaries including multiple Clio Cup Champion Paul Rivett.
After depriving James Colburn of fourth position with a bold switchback manoeuvre into the Complex, a spectacular charge carried the KX Akademy protégé and series sophomore right onto the tail of the duel over the runner-up spoils by the chequered flag.
The second outing witnessed a relentless six-way scrap for supremacy, with little to choose between the evenly-matched front-runners, but Hand was once again the man on the move, recovering from a wheelspin-afflicted getaway when the lights went out to storm aggressively into the top three. In a high-pressure situation with the leaders all running quite literally nose-to-tail, matters came to a head at the chicane on lap ten, as the highly-rated Maple Park hotshot found himself caught out by a rival’s braking.
With both cars being pitched into a spin, Hand wound up an unrepresentative ninth at the chequered flag – although a better fastest lap than the race-winner served to underline what might have been. Still, as he reflects upon a weekend of unfulfilled potential – albeit one that saw him gain a spot to eighth in the title standings – the 20-year-old Warwickshire ace and former karting champion is satisfied that he gave it his absolute best shot.
“I wasn’t sure how I would feel going back to Thruxton after my accident there, but it didn’t affect me at all and I was able to push flat-out right from the start,” he revealed. “Besides, I love Thruxton – it’s a real man’s circuit that essentially boils down to who’s got the most commitment and bottle.
“I could definitely have qualified second if I hadn’t been warned to stay away from the kerbs, but I was confident I could make progress in the races. In the first of them, after losing ground at the start, I was in constant attack mode. My favourite move was into the Complex, where I would out-brake the other driver around the outside on the entry to grab the inside line on the exit. It was real doorhandle-to-doorhandle stuff a lot of the time – I have no idea how my wing mirrors stayed intact!
“Unfortunately, my front-right suspension collapsed with four laps to go, which made the car extremely difficult to control – it was pulling right even in a straight line, and hustling it through Church Corner at 120mph was interesting to say the least... I’m convinced the podium would have been on the cards without that.“I knew I had a fast car underneath me in race two, but I wasn’t quite quick enough in the places I needed to be to have a go at Lee Pattison ahead. Massive understeer through the first corner meant I struggled to get anywhere near close enough in the braking zone into the Complex, but then on lap ten, I got a mega run through Church and looked up the inside heading down towards the chicane.
“Lee saw me coming and closed the door, so I cut across to the outside. My front-right wheel was overlapping with his rear-left when out of nowhere, he hit the brakes really hard. That caught me by surprise, so I jumped on the brakes, too, but as I did so, the rear of my car stepped out and we made contact.
“These things happen sometimes when you are pushing – and waiting around in third wasn’t cutting it, to be honest, because I had worked so hard to fight my way up there and was so close I could almost smell victory. It was there for the taking, and I knew I needed to make it happen rather than just sitting back and settling for the podium. Of course it was a frustrating way to finish a weekend that had promised so much more, but I’m a racing driver and I’m going to go for gaps when I see them – otherwise, what’s the point? We showed we are here to win, so roll on Oulton Park!”
