Mike Robinson has moved to the top of the Michelin Clio Cup Series standings after securing his second victory of the season during a drama-filled Round Four at Oulton Park.
Erstwhile points leader David Dickenson had started the day superbly with victory in Round Three, however a driveshaft failure on the way to a restart after early red flags brought his race to a premature end.
That restart was required after a dramatic multi-car accident in the pack at the start of the race, with the startline tangle ending Ollie Pidgley, Brett Lidsey, Peter Bennett and Jacques Mizzi’s races, the latter now on a run of four consecutive non-finishes.
The various dramas meant just eight cars lined up for the restart, with Robinson at the front ahead of Tommy Ostgaard, the latter having stormed into the lead with a fantastic launch first time around.
Fortunately for the Norweigan he was able to replicate that getaway to lead the field away. The SV Racing driver led until lap three, when Robinson squeezed past at the hairpin and despite Ostgaard’s best efforts, the Total Control Racing ace hold on to win by 0.5 seconds.
“The first start was very chaotic and then I didn’t get the start I wanted from pole the second time, then I was disappointed when I saw the race had been cut to 10 minutes – I knew I had a lot of work to do and not a lot of time to do it,” said Robinson. “Thankfully Tommy [Ostgaard] made a little mistake at the hairpin and I managed to put the car in there. I’m pleased with the win.”
Behind Ostgaard in second, Luke Herbert took a hard-fought third place for Westbourne Motorsport, having been challenged hard in the early laps before fending off some late pressure from Renault Clio returnee Jeff Smith.
Former BTCC racer Smith took fourth, posting the fastest lap of the race in the process, with Round Three podium-finisher Andy Jordan battling to fifth ahead of Paul Streather, Sam Randon and Tom Butler.
Rounds five and six of the Michelin Clio Cup Series take place at Donington Park in two weeks’ time, with the two classes to return to their combined grid format for the third meeting of the season.
Provisional 2014 Michelin Clio Cup Race Series Points (After Oulton Park):
1. Mike Robinson – 94pts
2. David Dickenson – 91pts
3. Paul Streather – 80pts
4. Luke Herbert – 67pts
5. Andy Jordan – 65pts
6. San Randon – 62pts
7. Tommy Ostgaard – 55pts
8. Tom Butler – 54pts
9. Brett Lidsey – 48pts
10. Jeff Smith – 446pts
