The most successful team in Renault UK Clio Cup history, Team Pyro, will join forces with 20Ten Racing for a combined three-car entry into the new Renault UK Clio Cup Junior series in 2017.
Announced late last month, the Junior Clio Cup will be for 14 to 17 year old drivers, who will race in restricted versions of the same cars used in the main Clio Cup.
The new ‘20Ten with Pyro’ squad has come together due to Pyro being unable to run an outfit alongside their existing UK Clio Cup commitments and other projects.
20Ten therefore will run the Junior team, with Pyro supplying engineering input, which their team principal Mark Hunt thinks is the “best all-round solution.”
The team hopes to start testing young drivers within the next month, with both squads having received a number of serious enquiries since the championship was announced.
“We’re very happy to be doing this in partnership with Pyro who have been the name to beat for many years in Clio Cup racing both in the UK and overseas,” said 20Ten boss Simon Hunt.
“We have also enjoyed some great moments in the senior UK Clio Cup and have a sound reputation for bringing on young new drivers – this therefore is a perfect fit.”
With Pyro running at full capacity with their UK Clio Cup squad and other commitments, they have decided to bring in 20Ten to run the Junior team and supply engineering input.
The news of Pyro/20Ten’s entry comes as the series organisers have announced plans for an open sampler day for prospective drivers at Blyton Park in Lincolnshire on Sunday 30 October.
Two three-hour sessions on circuit will allow drivers to drive cars in ‘Junior’ trim, with teams to supply instructor’s in car and Renaultsport UK to be present with technical support.
Interested drivers should contact Renault Sport UK’s Motorsport Championship Manager Will Fewkes ([email protected]), who said: “The interest in our new Junior championship is tremendous so a sampler day of this nature makes perfect sense. Certainly, having listened to teams on the current UK Clio Cup grid as well as the number of enquiries from other areas, we expect a lot of activity at Blyton.
“Teams have agreed to run just one car each, with only eight cars permitted on track at any one time – this is to keep things fair for everyone and to prevent ‘over-crowding’ on track. The day after all is about letting drivers and teams really find out about the UK Clio Cup Junior car together.”
