The two Michelin Clio Cup Race Series rounds at Croft on Sunday July 12 saw close racing, with Matt Allison and Paul Streather taking the wins.
Former British Touring Car Championship driver Matt Allison won his first race since 2011 when he was last in a third-gen Clio Cup car at the Yorkshire circuit in the Renault UK Clio Cup. Allison only moved to the front of the field when he made a last-lap pass on pole-sitter Sam Randon.
“I was never going to back off, second was in the bag and it would have been easy to settle for that but I wanted the win if I could,” said Allison. “We set the car up to be fast at the end and it was, it all worked well and in the end the luck swung my way. To have put the team together from scratch in March and to now have our first win on only our second weekend, I’m over the moon.”
“The job was done really, I’d led all the way but just made a mistake at Sunny In and that was it,” added Randon.
In race two, Randon once again started from pole position but he missed out on his first victory when Paul Streather slipped past for the lead at the hairpin on lap 4.
Two thirds of the way through the 15 lap race, Brett Lidsey and Sam Randon had contact, allowing the leader to further extend his lead.
“I’m absolutely over the moon with the win,” said Streather. “Race one was tough, there was a bit of contact which knocked the steering out and from then on it was an uphill struggle. I was determined to get back up there in race two, I drove 110 percent the whole way through – we’re back where we should be.”
“This makes up for the first race where I got a puncture,” said Lidsey. “I got such a good start to this one, one of the best of the year for me. I went round the outside at Turn One and then I was third. I’m really happy with P2, it’s a great result.”
The next rounds of the season will take place at the Brands Hatch Indy Circuit on July 25/26.
