WITH PAINT PERFECT MOTORSPORTAfter more than 11 months on the racing sidelines, 2014 Michelin Clio Cup Road Series Champion Anton Spires (Milton Keynes) will make his return to action next Saturday, 15th August, at Oulton Park in Cheshire when he graduates into the headline Race Series with Paint Perfect Motorsport.
Planning to make the step-up from the Road Series into a thoroughbred third generation racing Clio for the start of the current campaign, a shortfall in budget meant the 22-year-old faced a frustrating year away from the driving seat.
Invited to join Paint Perfect Motorsport as driver coach by Road Series podium finisher John Creasey (Lincoln), Spires has been an integral part of the team throughout 2015 and with a recently launched ‘share scheme’ proving hugely successful the funds have been secured to put Spires on the grid.
Taking the inaugural Road Series crown with two rounds to spare last year, claiming seven victories from 10 races contested and finishing on the podium in every outing, Spires is overjoyed to be back behind the wheel and absolutely relishing his Race Series bow.
“It’s fantastic we can finally confirm things”, he commented, “We kind of knew at the end of last season we might end up having to take a year out from racing, but obviously the partnership with John [Creasey] started and its through his sponsors and the share scheme we’re on the grid now for the last two weekends of the season and for 2016 too.
“I’ve got to say a huge thank you to Paint Perfect Motorsport, John and everyone involved in the team – it’s all down to them. The whole package includes next year so the aim is to have some good races at Oulton and Silverstone, see where I am and then have a good testing programme over the winter. I know Oulton and do like the track so I’m really looking forward to next weekend.”
As well as marking Spires’ maiden appearance in the Michelin Clio Cup Race Series, next weekend’s two races at Oulton Park will also be the first in the top tier of the action-packed championship for the Paint Perfect squad.
Forming part of big plans to expand the team in both the Road Series and Race Series, team boss Creasey put in place the unique share scheme – which was launched at the Croft race meeting in July – to help secure the capital to acquire a third generation racing Renault Clio for Spires to pilot.
Having collected the car yesterday, 4th August, before conducting a brief half-day shakedown at Oulton Park where chief engineer Mark Waby of MWT Automotive gave the Clio his seal of approval, the team will spend the next 10 days preparing for its welcome debut in the Race Series as part of a hugely competitive field.
“I felt very confident from the start we could secure the funding quickly”, said Creasey, “With the current infrastructure we have in place throughout the team, and with such a proven young talented driver ready to take to the wheel, everything was in place for the right investor. Everyone at Paint Perfect Motorsport is very excited at the prospect of having Anton racing for the team.
“The new sponsors we have are very forward thinking and I know they will fit in well with our current sponsors, AlloyGator and Lechler Coatings, who are like minded. I am so pleased for Anton, Keith [Freeman – Spires’ grandad and manager] and the whole family that he is able to pick his career back up so soon.”
Along with headline sponsors Michelin and Protyre, the Clio Cup Series is additionally supported by Ferodo, Safety Devices and ALS Performance.
