First it was Max Coates … then Paul Rivett … and now Lee Pattison has been named the victor of Round Four of the 2017 Renault UK Clio Cup at Donington Park.
Pattison had been leading the race before receiving contact from team-mate Rivett which sent them both off circuit, with both initially deemed as the cause of the red flags so they weren’t included in the final result.
That gave Coates the win, until Rivett successfully appealed his removal from the result as further evidence showed he had re-joined the track following the incident so couldn’t be deemed at fault.
Pattison was unsuccessful in a similar appeal that evening, which he challenged by taking it to the MSA National Court of Appeal, which has ruled in his favour.
That means he is now classified as the race-winner ahead of Rivett and Coates, with the points received now moving him up to second in the championship standings.
The Round Four saga is part of an on-going theme in the Clio Cup this season, with the winners of fifty percent of the races so far being decided in the stewards room post-race. The other cases are:
Round Three: Bushell won the race on the road, but was handed a 1.5 second time penalty for gaining an unfair advantage. This promoted Coates to the win, but he was initially excluded for receiving outside assistance which enabled him to rejoin the grid after a red flag, giving Pattison the win, but Coates’ exclusion was then successfully rescinded on appeal.
Round Six: James Dorlin took the win on the road following a last corner move on Bushell, however he was then handed a 0.5 second penalty for gaining an unfair advantage to hand Bushell the win, though this was later successfully appealed to ensure a maiden win for Dorlin.
Round Eight: Bushell was involved once again as he took the victory on the road following an early move on James Colburn, however he was handed a 0.6 second penalty for gaining an unfair advantage to give the victory to Colburn.