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Spa Race Victory For Doyle Ends in Controversy |
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Tuesday, 19 June 2007 |
ELF Renault Clio Cup racer Michael Doyle (Gartocharn) took a stunning victory on his debut appearance in the Italian Renault Clio Cup Championship on Sunday, 17th June. Doyle, who turned 20 the next day, won the second of the weekend’s two races at Belgium’s legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit.
However, his victory was officially removed for a minor technical infringement, although both Renault Sport Italia and eligibility scrutineers agreed the Robertshaw Racing ace won the race fair and square.
Race one on Saturday ended almost immediately for Doyle, who was hit by
two different cars at the first corner and forced into retirement with
damage to his Clio Cup car, which is based on the road-going Clio
Renaultsport 197.
Lining up third on the grid for race two, Doyle moved up to second
halfway through the first lap and then took the lead on lap two out of
11. He was then forced to defend from Italian Clio Cup regular Andrea
Pedrini who took the lead midway through the race.
Doyle kept his composure and nipped past Pedrini on the following lap
before building a comfortable advantage that allowed him to ease off in
the closing stages and take the chequered flag with a margin of 2.547s.
Commenting on his win, Doyle said: “It was unbelievable to stand on the
top step of the podium at Spa and brilliant to see how ecstatic the
team was. It was the best father’s day present I could have given my
dad, Gerry, because he gave me the chance to go racing in the first
place and has always supported me.
“Everyone was full of praise for the job the team did. To be the first
British team to race in the Italian series is good but for me to be the
first Briton to win a race is something very special.”
Drama then began in the Race Stewards office as Pedrini’s team
protested the legality of Doyle’s car, which had already been declared
legal by Renault Sport Italia’s scrutineer. All engines must be sealed
to ensure a level playing field and while Doyle’s engine had the
necessary seals for the UK series, it transpired that an extra seal
used specifically in the Italian Championship was missing, leading to
his exclusion.
Doyle added: “It’s disappointing to have officially been excluded but
in my mind I won the race. The people at Renault Sport Italia and the
scrutineer were very good about it, admitting they had missed the extra
seal but confirming the car was perfectly fine.
“They are now going to look into changing the regulations to allow
UK-specification cars to enter without needing the extra seal. We were
also allowed to keep our trophies and prize money.”
Doyle is currently eighth in the UK drivers’ standings and will look to
claim his first podium finish in round five at Cheshire’s Oulton Park
Island circuit this weekend, 23rd/24th June.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 19 June 2007 )
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