Adam Hatfield will compete in the Michelin Clio Cup Series at Brands Hatch this weekend after signing an eleventh hour deal with SV Racing in place of regular driver Tommy Ostgaard.
With Norwegian racer Ostgaard withdrawing from the weekend’s event, Hatfield will make the step up from the SAXMAX Junior Touring Car Championship (JTCC) to make his Clio Series debut.
The 16 year old ran under the SV Racing umbrella during the latter half of the 2013 season, before signing a Clio testing deal for 2014 with the team ahead of a planned full-time progression into the series next year.
With a drive available though, and with Hatfield having impressed the team in testing, team principal Danny Buxton felt the time was right for him to make his race debut.
“The decision to race Adam (Hatfield) at Brands Hatch this weekend was based on the last few highly successful test days he has undertaken with us,” said Buxton.
“His development rate for someone so young has been very impressive, and by dipping his toe into a racing environment will further that. I’m really excited about this weekend, and no matter what happens, it will be a great learning curve for him.”
Hatfield added: “To be racing this weekend is really exciting. I’ve had six days worth of testing so far this year and feel very comfortable in the car. The SVR team and I tested at Brands Hatch earlier in the year, and it’s a circuit I enjoy as its fast nature provides an exciting challenge.
“I’ve had a lot of tutoring from both Danny (Buxton) and several of the UK Clio Cup drivers, so I’m feeling really good ahead of this weekend. I don’t have any high expectations, but it would be good to racing within the mix of everyone to gain some valuable experience.”
