Ashley Sutton continued his hugely impressive start to his maiden Renault UK Clio Cup with a pair of second places finishes from a Thruxton weekend he described to TheCheckeredFlag.co.uk as ‘damage limitation.
Sutton finished second to team-mate Ash Hand in pre-event testing last month, and that result proved to be an insight into what would follow across the race weekend, with Sutton and Hand locking out the top two in every session.
Unfortunately for Sutton, it was Hand who led the way each time – though Sutton certainly didn’t settle for second best without a fight, in particular in the second race when a climatic conclusion saw him mount a last gap overtake attempt at the final chicane.
Despite being frustrated at not snatching the top spot over the course of the weekend, Sutton was pleased to make it five podium finishes in his first six Clio Cup races, whilst also closing the gap to championship leader Ant Whorton-Eales from 22 points to 13.
“At the end of the day to win the championship you’ve got to get points,” said Sutton. “Don’t get me wrong, coming out in front and winning would have got me more points, but getting second both times is great and I finished ahead of Ant [Whorton-Eales] in both.
“Further down the line we’ve got to start thinking about Ash [Hand] when dropped scores come into play, but I’m pleased with the weekend, it was damage limitation.”
