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Orders Flow For New Clio Cup Racer |
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Sunday, 30 July 2006 |
Renault Sport UK received a total of 30 deposits for its New Clio Cup racer after a hugely successful launch in the Renault Race Centre at Donington Park on Saturday, 29th July. The car, which will be raced in the ELF Renault Clio Cup from the start of the 2007 series, replaces the current Clio Renaultsport 182 after seven glorious seasons.
An evolution of a very successful one-make formula, which began with the Renault 5 in 1974, New Clio Cup boasts a wider, more aggressive stance, a 2.0-litre engine producing 205hp, a specifically-designed six-speed gearbox and a Formula One-inspired rear air diffuser, which is a first of its kind on an entry level sports hatchback.
Drivers and teams will also benefit from cutting edge technology in the form of a Magneti Marelli data acquisition system. A long-standing partner of Renault Sport, Magneti Marelli has developed this system for use in the Formula Renault 3.5 and Eurocup Mégane Trophy, which form part of the World Series by Renault, and has
now brought it to a wider audience with its inclusion on New Clio Cup.
On Saturday evening, former Clio Cup champions including the first Clio
Cup champion Jim Edwards Jnr, Jonathan Fildes, Paul Rivett and Jonathan
Adam, joined invited guests who had already shown interest in exploring
the new racer, which has already seen Clio Cup action in Germany, Spain
and Italy in 2006. After a presentation by Championship Manager Simon
North and Technical Manager Allen Collen the covers were taken off the
car and the order books opened with £1,000 deposits being placed for a
car that will cost just £20,500+VAT.
Reigning Entrants Champion Total Control Racing, managed by Lee
Brookes, placed deposits for four cars, the same number it is running
in the series this season. Other current teams to place orders include
Mark Hunt’s Team Pyro, which ordered three, Steven Hunter’s JHR Racing
Developments, which ordered two, Gary Robertshaw’s Robertshaw Racing,
which ordered two and Colin Stancombe’s Stancombe Vehicle Engineering,
which ordered one. In addition, current drivers Mark Speller, Alan
Taylor, Philip House all placed deposits, while former driver John Gaw
also paid a deposit.
Other multiple orders came from Forster Motorsport, which ordered three
cars and Jonathan Shepherd, who also ordered three cars. The remaining
deposits were placed by Robert Fern, Gareth Nixon, of Nixon Motorsport,
Garry Townsend, Nick Leeson, John Gaffney, current SEAT driver Neil
Waterworth, Tony Ruggles of Carrera Motorsport and Liam McMillan.
More deposits are expected to be received in the coming months as the
profile of the car is raised by its appearance at every remaining ELF
Renault Clio Cup round. The cars are due to be manufactured at the end
of 2006 with teams and drivers receiving the cars in the new year ahead
of the debut season of racing with New Clio Cup.
Commenting on the number of orders received, Championship Manager Simon
North said: “It’s fantastic to see that Clio Cup racing still attracts
so many people who want to be involved in the UK’s best one-make
saloon-car series and be part of the BTCC package. We have been taking
enquiries about the new car for several months already and the number
of people who have shown up tonight proves there is a real appetite for
the car.
“To have 30 deposits on the first evening is a real boost for us and
proves that Renault Sport Technologies has produced yet another
fantastic racer. The launch of Clio Renaultsport 182 in 2000 brought us
very large grids and hopefully we’re heading for a similar situation in
2007.
“I believe this has been the most successful launch we have had in
Renault UK’s 32 years involvement in British motorsport and we look
like selling more of the new cars than the 34 we sold of the current
model. It is also good to see so many new faces who race in other
series but want to be part of Clio Cup as we enter this new phase in
our history.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 06 January 2007 )
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