If Max Coates had a perfect weekend at Brands Hatch, then Donington Park was Jack Young’s as the seventeen year old became the youngest ever Renault UK Clio Cup race winner whilst also taking the lead of the drivers championship.
Following qualifying and the penalisation of times for Coates, Jade Edwards and Jamie Bond, all driving for Team HARD, following a technical infringement. Jack’s weekend was made more comfortable as his main title rival for 2019, Max Coates, was forced to work his way through the ten car field in order to get something out of the weekend.
Race One
Jack Young is now a record breaker as he became the youngest ever victor in the series long and varied history. A record which will now probably never be beaten. The Northern Irishman headed an MRM Racing one-two as Brett Lidsey recorded his best ever race result of second place.
Despite starting from the pitlane, Coates and Bond managed to work their way into the battle for third place with Ben Colburn and Ethan Hammerton. Coates retired however when his car stopped following a mechanical issue, denting his championship hopes.
Whilst Bond and Hammerton scrapped in order to become the driver to challenge Colburn in third, this gave the Westbourne Motorsport driver a chance to put some daylight between himself and the Team HARD duo. However, when Bond took the initiative. He closed within just two tenths of Colburn at the flag whilst also setting the fastest lap on the final lap.
Despite Bond’s best efforts, Ben Colburn recorded his maiden Renault UK Clio Cup podium.
With Bond in fourth and Hammerton in fifth, Jade Edwards finished the first race in sixth and that was despite a spin on the opening lap. Finlay Robinson also enjoyed a pirouette and recovered to seventh ahead of Luke Warr in eighth and Aaron Thompson in ninth who finished a lap down after an incident which brought out the safety car.
Credit: Renault UK Clio Cup
Race Two
It was another MRM one-two in race two as a dominant lights to flag victory gave Young another welcomed boost in the drivers standings. Brett Lidsey, who moved into second overall after the first race, boosted his chances to stay second with another strong podium finish. His fourth in four races.
After woes in the first race, Coates bounced back to step on the final step of the podium capping off an incredibly tough weekend for the Yorkshireman.
Aaron Thompson and Ben Colburn were enjoying a great battle for fourth, but the latter who was still buoyed by his maiden podium finish earlier in the day got past his Westbourne teammate to take fourth. Fifth was Thompson’s best ever Clio Cup finish.
Sixth went to Finlay Robinson ahead of Hammerton and Bond who, despite being teammates, were rubbing panels like there was no tomorrow in the last few laps showing that intra-team battles are well and truly on at Team HARD.
Jade Edwards ended her disappointing weekend in ninth ahead of Luke Warr in tenth who enjoyed mammoth battles with the recovering penalised Team HARD cars for the bulk of the race.
After what was a dominant display by Jack Young at Donington, Coates can now look forward to his home circuit of Croft next up on the calendar and possibly making up the gap to the runaway Northern Irishman.
