Charlie Ladell will join the Courier Connections Renault UK Clio Cup grid for the fourth event of the season at Oulton Park next month, after completing a deal with WDE Motorsport.
The 17 year old will become the youngest driver on the grid, and will team-up with three-time Clio Cup champion Paul Rivett at the Kent-based outfit.
The 2011 Saxmax ‘Rookie of the Year’ and 2012 Fiesta Junior Champion got his first taste of Clio racing during last year’s Michelin Clio Cup Series ‘Autumn Cup’ event at Rockingham.
Running with Westbourne Motorsport, Ladell impressed with an outstanding second place finish on his debut in the older third-generation Clio racer.
“I’ve known the guys at WDE for three years now, we all get on really well – we’re like a little family to be honest,” said the Suffolk-based racer. “I couldn’t ask for a better team-mate than Paul [Rivett], nobody knows more about Clio racing and it’s going to be fantastic to benefit from that experience.
“We’re a bit behind with testing, and we’ve obviously missed the first few races, but we should be OK at Oulton. We’re not setting any goals, we’ll see what happens. There is quite a big difference between last year’s car and the new one, I prefer the new Clio to be honest and I’m more confident in it. I can’t wait to be back out in the car, I’m really looking forward to Oulton.”
Ladell’s new team-mate Rivett is also the team manager of WDE Motorsport’s Clio outfit, and he is delighted to have a second car on the grid.
“We’re really pleased to have a second car on the grid, this is part of what we’ve wanted to do with the expansion of the team,” commented Rivett. “Charlie has only had one test in the car up to now, at Anglesey, so we’ll be at Donington and Silverstone this week. We’ll just have to see how he goes at Oulton but Charlie is a great young driver and it’s fantastic to have him as part of the Clio team.”