A change to rain tyres at the start of the second Renault UK Clio Cup race at Snetterton didn’t put off pole-sitter Max Coates as he headed to his fourth victory of the season. Meanwhile title rival Paul Rivett didn’t have the best of times as he failed to score.
The initial start of the race was delayed as rain forced some drivers to go down the pitlane to change from slick to wet tyres. However, the clerk of the course decided it was too dangerous for the race to start with cars on the grid still on slicks so a wet race was called and everyone had to make the switch.
At the start, an inspired James Dorlin got the jump on Coates and led the first few laps. Unlike race one, most drivers managed to stay on track for the opening lap barring an incident for Nicolas Hamilton who damaged the front left corner of his car and was forced into retirement.
A move into Brundle by Coates partway through the race was the only move he needed to make on his title rival Dorlin as the Team Pyro man opened up a gap and took the chequered flag with a 1.237 second advantage.
Paul Rivett didn’t have the best of times as his WDE Motorsport Clio was hit by another driver exiting Brundle and was forced to make a pit-stop. One lap down and not getting the fastest lap, Rivett was to end up pointless but still second in the championship. However, he is now twenty-seven points behind Coates in first.
Behind the top two of Coates and Dorlin, Lee Pattison drove a fine race to third and you suspected he would have been prime to pass if both of the leaders came unstuck. However a mature drive gave him reward of a podium.
Zak Fulk gained fourth on the final lap at the expense of Dan Zelos. But, this was reversed after the race when stewards deemed the move to have been too robust for their liking. Sixth went the way of Jack McCarthy who had started the race from twenty-second.
DRM driver Daniel Rowbottom who won the first race earlier in the day couldn’t complete his heroics and had to make do with an eleventh placed finish.
Leaving Snetterton, Coates leads the championship with 239 points. Twenty-seven ahead of Rivett in second and thirty ahead of Dorlin in third. As the only driver outside of the top three to score victory, Rowbottom lies fourth with 171 points.
