Current Renault UK Clio Cup championship leader Mike Bushell topped the timesheets in official pre-event testing today (17th June) at Croft, finishing three tenths of a second clear of his Team Pyro stablemates David Dickenson and Senna Proctor.
Eleven of the eighteen drivers in action set their quickest laps during the second of the day’s forty minute sessions, with Bushell becoming the only driver in the field to break the 1m 32s barrier with a blistering effort of 1m 31.710s.
Dickenson was the only driver within half a second of the 2014 champion, with the Irishman’s best effort of 1m 32.016s putting him two tenths of a second clear of Proctor, who heads into the weekend in buoyant mood after taking a maiden podium finish last time out.
Experienced Clio men Paul Rivett and Lee Pattison were the next quickest, though a further two tenths of a second separated them, while a strong sixth overall was Rory Collingbourne courtesy of a 1m 32.535s effort that was the quickest of all in the first session.
Josh Price was the final driver within a second of the leading pace in seventh, with Paul Streather and Daniel Rowbottom next up, the latter having hit the track as a married man for the first time after celebrating his wedding yesterday (16th June).
Max Coates and Ant Whorton-Eales were an uncharacteristic tenth and eleventh respectively, but both are confident of improved showings come qualifying – the latter in particular as he tries to stop his title rival Bushell from extending his current run of four consecutive pole positions.
Full testing times can be found here.