Paul Rivett says it was mission accomplished at Croft yesterday as he converted pole position into a first Renault UK Clio Cup win of the season to bounce back from a difficult weekend at Oulton Park two weeks ago.
The trip to Cheshire saw the three-time champion restricted to just a best finish of seventh following contact in the opening encounter and a track limits penalty in race two, results that lost him crucial ground in the championship battle.
Rivett hit back in style this weekend however, taking his first pole position since the corresponding meeting twelve months ago in qualifying, which he duly converted into a lights-to-flag three and a half second victory.
“I came here absolutely determined for a strong weekend after Oulton Park, where luck really wasn’t on our side,” said the WDE Motorsport ace.
“We got pushed off a couple of times in the first race and ended up down the order, then we got a penalty we didn’t deserve in race two. I exceeded track limits three times, but so did everyone else around me and I was the only one penalised.
“I was quite upset after that and I came into this weekend determined to put it on pole and win, and that’s exactly what we’ve done. The car has been mega, WDE have done a fantastic job and we’ve done exactly what we came here to do.”
Delighted with the commanding nature of his victory, in which he led from start to finish and pulled comfortably clear of the pack behind, Rivett is targeting a repeat result in race two today from third on the grid.
“I’ve got to overtake to get to the front today, so it’s going to be harder,” he added.
“We weren’t put under any pressure in the first race. Bushell was right behind me off the line and I thought that I’d never break the tow from him, but I was able to just drive away from him. So we know we’ve got the pace in the car to do it again today, and I’m looking forward to giving it a go.”
