Driver Database News

Rounds 19 and 20 of the ELF Renault Clio Cup at Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit over the weekend, 3rd/4th October, completely summed up Andrew Herron’s season with dreadful luck conspiring against the Northern Irishman’s attempts to conclude 2009 on a high.

As rapid as ever, the 21-year-old from Dromore in Co. Down still managed to end the season third in the championship standings but the final two races of the campaign couldn’t really have been more luckless – a drive-through penalty in the first encounter and a trackrod failure in the second totally compromising what promised to be a good weekend.

After lapping strongly in testing on Friday, his first ever appearance in a race car on the Kent venue’s 2.3-mile configuration, Andrew qualified fourth on the grid for Saturday’s 19th round – just four 10ths of a second shy of pole position – and fifth for the final race of the championship season.

Making a good getaway to the opener, Andrew moved into the top three past slow-starting pole-sitter Philip Glew and then took second position at Hawthorn when erstwhile race leader Robert Gaffney ran wide onto the grass under pressure from Alex MacDowall.

Pressing on, the Brian Herron Contracts-backed racer was as quick as anyone and looked well on course for a podium – and possibly even his elusive first win of the year – but the news soon flashed on the timing monitors that he was to receive a drive-through penalty for starting out of position.

Andrew pitted to serve his penalty at the end of lap five and he actually did very well to climb his way back into 14th position before the finish, posting a fastest lap of 1m40.866 seconds in the process – just four 100ths of a second shy of the quickest time of the race. Shortly after the chequered flag had fallen, second placed finisher Dave Newsham was excluded which lifted Andrew into 13th position.

Round 20 got underway without hitch as he held onto fifth place and his pace was once again outstanding, posting a quickest time of 1m40.865 seconds – just seven 100ths of a second away from the fastest lap – on lap eight as he ran in the top four having got by Gaffney.

On lap 11 though, disaster struck for the JHR Developments driver when a trackrod failed which collapsed the front-wheel assembly. Forcing him to run wide at Sheene Curve, Andrew did well to keep the car from hitting the barriers but the result was an instant retirement.

Although scoring far less points than he had hoped for, Andrew still concludes only his third season of car racing action impressively inside the championship top three. Now, attention turns to plans for 2010 with options open to him to return for a fresh title challenge in Clios or a step-up to the Porsche Carrera Cup GB Championship.

“Basically this weekend has been the story of the whole year for me, I’ve been as quick as anybody in terms of consistent pace – probably the quickest – but qualifying didn’t go to plan and then good old lady luck kicked me in the face again!”, said Andrew.

“You’ve got to take the positives though, I had bent steering and I was still the fastest car on the track so we know the pace is there and with a fair run we can win races and fight for championships. I’m at a bit of crossroads now in my career, a lot of teams have been approaching me about next year so I’ve got a lot of decisions to make over the next couple of weeks.

“I’m really tempted to come back next year and win the Clio title, I’ve never raced in any championship for two years straight and that is something you do need to do. It’s also important for my CV to get a championship win on there. We’ve got a lot of interest from the Porsche paddock as well which is obviously good to know, we just need to wait and see what’s going to happen.”

One highlight of the weekend for Andrew was watching compatriot Colin Turkington overcome the combined threat of the works-Vauxhalls of Fabrizio Giovanardi and Matt Neal during the final British Touring Car Championship race of the season to clinch his first BTCC title. The Co. Down-born driver is a friend of the Herron family and they’re all delighted for him to have achieved his dream.

Andrew added: “Obviously I’m disappointed with the way the season has turned out for us but I’m delighted for Colin that he was able to win the BTCC title. It’s great for Northern Ireland that he’s managed to win the championship and he certainly deserves it, he’s a class driver and a great person as well – we’re all really made up for the family.”

Final Provisional 2009 ELF Renault Clio Cup Driver Standings:
Champion: Philip Glew, 563pts; 2nd Alex MacDowall, 445pts; 3rd Andrew Herron, 362pts

Photo by Jakob Ebrey Photography.

Cumbrian teenager Alex MacDowall ended the 2009 ELF Renault Clio Cup in winning ways at Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit over the weekend, 3rd/4th October, by taking his fourth race victory of the year to seal the Vice-Champion’s position in the driver standings.

Soundly defeating newly crowned Clio Cup title winner Philip Glew in round 19 on Saturday with a dominant and faultless drive, the 18-year-old added a further podium result in Sunday’s final race of the season – even though handicapped by an intermittent cut-out problem – to prove beyond doubt his pace and front-running credentials.

Although Alex’s season has been dogged at times by bad luck which most certainly compromised his title aspirations, it has still been a very successful year for the Carlisle-based driver. Along with his four race victories he also achieved eight other podiums, seven pole positions, three fastest laps and achieved the ‘Driver of the Day’ accolade on three occasions – including this weekend for his superb win.

During pre-event practice on Friday, Alex set the pace at the wheel of his Total Control Racing-run car with a best time of 1m40.259 seconds (82.61mph) during the second session – a performance made even more impressive by the fact he remained on old tyres for the duration, unlike a number of his front-running rivals.

Into qualifying on Saturday morning, he secured third on the grid for round 19 and an improved front-row start for round 20 but it was the first of the weekend’s races where Alex shone brightest with a truly stunning, textbook performance.

Rocketing away from third place, the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) Rising Star shadowed Robert Gaffney through Paddock Hill Bend as the pair got ahead of pole-sitter Glew. After applying immense pressure to Gaffney through Surtees and down Pilgrim’s Drop, Alex made the breakthough to take the lead exiting Hawthorn Bend when Gaffney succumbed and ran wide.

Building an excellent lead of three seconds, Alex’s advantage was eroded at the end of lap seven when the Safety Car was deployed to clear away the stricken car of Mark Hazell but at the re-start he led the pack away well and was never headed – taking the win by two seconds from Glew.

“I wasn’t going to let that one go”, said the TCR ace at the end of round 19, “We were fastest in the practice, third in qualifying so we knew we had the pace. I made an awesome start, (Robert) Gaffney was inside, (Andrew) Herron tried to go around the outside into the first corner and I was the meat in the sandwich really.

“I flashed my lights at Gaffney going along Cooper Straight and he went into Surtees far too hot so I thought, yes. I knew he was prone to make a mistake and I managed to get by him at Westfield. I knew I had to make a good re-start, I wanted to try and impress, and beating the champion is what I wanted to do – and I did.”

Sunday’s 20th round produced another excellent drive from Alex and he pressured race leader, and pole-position starter, Glew hard during the second half of the race – the pair split by just three 10ths of a second at the finish on lap 15. Ending the season as a richly deserving Vice-Champion, Alex now prepares for 2010 as he bids to continue his excellent career progression in saloon car competition.

Final 2009 ELF Renault Clio Cup Standings:
Champion: Philip Glew, 563pts; 2nd Alex MacDowall, 445pts; 3rd Andrew Herron, 362pts

Photo by Jakob Ebrey Photography.

Dromore’s Andrew Herron gained further ground on chief rival Alex MacDowall in the race for the 2009 ELF Renault Clio Cup Vice-Champion’s position at Rockingham International Super Sports Car Circuit today, Sunday, 20th September, with his seventh podium of the campaign.

The Brian Herron Contracts-backed racer actually equalled his best result of the season, second place, during round 17 at the Northamptonshire venue but an unexpected four-second penalty dropped him to third position on amended times behind returning 2001 Clio Cup Champion Danny Buxton.

Following an early Safety Car period Andrew got good drive out of Brook Chicane as the race headed towards its re-start and although he didn’t pull alongside Buxton’s car before the start/finish line, a little known championship regulation – new for 2009 – now prevents drivers from getting so much as the front bumper of their car alongside the rear bumper of the competitor ahead before a re-start.

Nonetheless, a welcome return to the podium with third place meant Andrew gained five points on MacDowall in the driver standings and with the addition of a fine fourth position in round 18, from seventh on the grid, he is now just 30 points behind on overall scores heading into the season finale on 3rd/4th October. Taking into account ‘drop scores’ though, the gap increases to 41 points.

Bearing in mind the Northern Irishman’s weekend didn’t start as he wanted when a bolt on the lower part of his car’s steering failed in qualifying, to still qualify inside the first four rows of the grid for both races, take his seventh podium and also close the gap to MacDowall in the championship – with only two races remaining – all points towards a successful event for the 21-year-old.

“The weekend was killed on Saturday with the bolt snapping, it was always going to be hard starting the races from seventh place, but to just be three 10ths of a second off the pace even with that problem meant I knew we’d be fast today”, said Andrew.

“To go from seventh to second was well earned, there was no luck in it as I had to pass people and drive well. I showed good pace but to get put back to third is gut-wrenching. The new rule is one I didn’t know, the team didn’t know and nobody I’ve talked to didn’t really know about it! Still, rules are rules and we accept that.

“In the second race I got held up a bit behind (James) Colburn and (Daniel) Lloyd but I made really clean moves on those two kids, who are very good drivers as well, and then I stretched away. Once you’re out of the tow of the front runners though, it’s difficult to get it back. I consolidated fourth though and gaining points on MacDowall, and pulling further away from (Dave) Newsham, is good.”

In the first race, Andrew made up a couple of positions on the opening lap and then moved into the top four with a pass on MacDowall at Gracelands. Remaining in fourth but pressuring Buxton ahead, the Co.Down racer was then hoisted into third spot when race leader Lloyd crashed out after making contact with the Rockingham Oval wall.

After a two-lap Safety Car period, Andrew positioned himself well behind Buxton to make the most of the re-start and even though he didn’t get alongside his rival until after they had crossed the line to begin lap 12, officials deemed the JHR Developments driver to have gained an unfair advantage.

Andrew sealed the move for second place through Turn 1 and he pulled well clear of Buxton over the remaining few laps but post-race he was given the four-second time penalty to drop him to third in the final classification. He also just missed out on the fastest lap by a mere 0.004 seconds!

In race two, Andrew climbed into sixth place on the first lap and after another Safety Car period he closed in more and more on Colburn. Taking fifth place at Deene Hairpin on lap five with a great move, he passed Lloyd at the same corner three laps later to take fourth position where he stayed to the flag.

Although the points gap to MacDowall is still a big one to bridge, Andrew is intent on going to Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit – his first ever experience of the full length Kent track – two weeks from now with the sole aim of usurping his rival in the fight for the runner-up spot in the standings.

Rounds 19 and 20 of the 2009 ELF Renault Clio Cup will take place over the weekend 3rd/4th October.

Provisional 2009 ELF Renault Clio Cup Driver Standings (after Rd18):
Champion: Philip Glew, 528pts; 2nd Alex MacDowall, 385pts; 3rd Andrew Herron, 355pts

Provisional 2009 ELF Renault Clio Cup Driver Standings (after Rd18 – minus drop scores):
Champion: Philip Glew, 499pts; 2nd Alex MacDowall, 385pts; 3rd Andrew Herron, 344pts

Photo by Jakob Ebrey Photography.

Teenagers Sam Tordoff and Daniel Lloyd both produced outstanding performances for Wednesbury-based Total Control Racing at Rockingham on Sunday, 20th September, with Tordoff claiming his third ELF Renault Clio Cup podium of 2009 and Lloyd unluckily missing out on his maiden category win.

Lining up second and third on the grid respectively for the 17th round of the season, Leeds-based Tordoff and Huddersfield racer Lloyd each made good starts to the first Clio race of the weekend at the venue’s International Super Sports Car Circuit to get on terms with pole-sitter Philip Glew.

Into Deene Hairpin for the first time, Tordoff ran slightly wide on the exit and lost some momentum but Lloyd got good drive out of the turn and managed to pass Glew at Yentwood to lead a Clio Cup race for the first time in his short career.

Into lap two Lloyd held a reasonable lead over the rest with TCR team-mate Alex MacDowall in fourth place, Tordoff in 11th after his lap one moment and Mike Robinson in 13th position – the latter starting lower down the order than he would have liked after a tricky qualifying session on Saturday.

Driving impressively, Lloyd looked comfortable at the front ahead of Glew and returning 2001 Clio Cup Champion Danny Buxton but at the end of the eighth lap, his car under-steered wide out of Brook Chicane and made heavy contact with the retaining wall at Turn 4.

Meaning an immediate retirement, Lloyd was bitterly disappointed and post-race investigations by the team pointed to a possible puncture which caused the 17-year-old’s car to become unsettled.

With Lloyd out of the race MacDowall, Tordoff and Robinson each moved up a place, the latter making the best progress of all to actually get ahead of Tordoff before the finish, grabbing a well deserved seventh place result – just a couple of 10ths of a second ahead of his team-mate. For MacDowall, fifth position was a good return to maintain his Vice-Champion’s spot in the standings.

Round 18 produced a welcome podium for Tordoff with a fine drive to third place behind newly crowned 2009 Clio Cup Champion Glew and former title winner Buxton. Running just a 10th of a second or so shy of the pace of the top two, Tordoff’s result moved him to within 23 points of the championship top six – the spot currently held by team-mate Robinson.

For Surrey-based Robinson, race two was made more difficult after he was caught-up in a tangle at Deene on lap one but he came through to finish 10th, a couple of spots behind MacDowall who, even though not enjoying one of his better weekends, is still on course to be 2009 runner-up.

For Lloyd, a career-best top five result was just reward for a great drive and also incredibly hard work by the TCR mechanics to get his car repaired after the round 17 accident. With just four hours in which to get the car anywhere close to race-readiness, the team did a superb job and although the Clio wasn’t anything like 100 per cent Lloyd still managed to secure an impressive finish.

“Sam and Daniel have come to the top again this weekend which is great to see”, said team principal Lee Brookes, “For Daniel to lead the first race ahead of Glew and Buxton, two highly rated drivers, without feeling any pressure was fantastic. It’s just such a shame what happened but we think he’d probably picked up a puncture which unsettled the car.

“The team did a fantastic job to get the car back out there, they worked unbelievably hard and it paid off with a good result. Sam’s podium in race two was obviously fantastic, he’s proven again he’s a genuine front-runner with a bright future. Alex and Mike were both unfortunate this weekend but they’ll bounce back at Brands Hatch where we’re aiming to try and win the team’s championship.”

Photo by Jakob Ebrey Photography

Teenage saloon car star Daniel Lloyd led an ELF Renault Clio Cup race for the first time in his short career at Rockingham in Northamptonshire today, Sunday, 20th September, but a suspected puncture potentially cost the category rookie his maiden race victory in the ultra-competitive championship.

Starting round 17 of the season from a career-best third on the grid, the Scammonden-based driver managed to take the lead from 2009 Clio Cup Champion Philip Glew on the run from Deene Hairpin just two corners into the race.

Immediately slotting into a tidy rhythm, Daniel looked confident and assured as he led Glew and returning 2001 Clio Cup title winner Danny Buxton. Setting a string of fastest laps during the early stages, the 17-year-old showed talent and skill belying his lack of experience and although Glew started to up the tempo on lap five, Daniel wasn’t rattled as the battle at the front intensified.

Bitter disappointment came at the end of lap eight though when his Total Control Racing-run Clio under-steered into the wall on the outside of Turn 4 as Daniel exited Brook Chicane and the resulting damage meant an immediate retirement. Hugely frustrating for the West Yorkshire racer, it later emerged a right-rear puncture may have unsettled his car as he pressed on towards lap nine.

“I’m absolutely gutted”, said Daniel following his retirement, “I felt really comfortable at the front, the car was great and my lap times were good. I didn’t feel under pressure, everything seemed to be going well, but then at the end of lap eight the car just under-steered into the wall on the outside of Turn 4. I didn’t do anything differently on that lap but now we think I’d already picked up a puncture.”

With around four hours in which to try and repair the No.23 Clio for round 18, the TCR mechanics did an outstanding job to prepare the car as well as possible and even though it was far from 100 per cent, Daniel was able to run to an extremely impressive top five result – ironically his best result of the year.

Starting in sixth position, he got away from the grid well and avoided a multi-car tangle at Deene Hairpin to emerge in fourth place. Following a three lap Safety Car period, the race resumed on lap four with Daniel working hard to try and stay with the top three.

Adapting his driving style to suit the limitations of his less-than-perfect Clio, he pressed on and although losing a position to Andrew Herron on lap eight he maintained a top five placing to the finish to secure 20 very hard earned championship points with an incredibly impressive drive.

Daniel commented: “The team did an absolutely fantastic job to get the car ready for race two, it was pretty seriously damaged after the race one incident but they worked wonders. Although the car wasn’t 100 per cent it was as good as it possibly could have been, the mechanics worked so hard to get me back out for race two so a huge thank you to all the boys at TCR.

“Finishing fifth is a good result considering I had to change my driving to adapt to the car but it’s still disappointing to look back on what could have been my first win in race one. We again showed how quick we are and now I’ve led a race in Clios, it’s given me even more confidence for the final two rounds at Brands Hatch in two weeks even though I’ve never driven on the Grand Prix track before.”

Looking ahead to the season finale at Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit a fortnight from now, 3rd/4th October, Daniel is just a single point shy of the 200 point barrier in his first season of Clio competition and will be aiming to end the year on a high at the Kent venue. Following this weekend’s action, he maintains 10th place in the driver standings, 12 points clear of his closest pursuer.

2009 Provisional ELF Renault Clio Cup Standings (after Rd18):
Champion: Philip Glew, 528pts; 2nd Alex MacDowall, 385pts; 10th Daniel Lloyd, 199pts

Photo by Jakob Ebrey Photography

ELF Renault Clio Cup front-runner Daniel Lloyd cannot wait for the penultimate event of the 2009 season at Rockingham International Super Sports Car Circuit next weekend, 19th/20th September, as he seeks his elusive first podium finish in the British Touring Car Championship-supporting category.

Daniel, who lives in Scammonden near Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, has been a revelation in the hugely competitive Clio Cup this year after graduating from the Ginetta Junior Championship at the end of 2008. Against some of the quickest and most talented saloon car drivers in the country, he has most certainly acquitted himself well and is currently a highly creditable 10th overall in the standings.

With a string of excellent points finishes over the course of the first 16 races, including three top sixes and eight other top 10 results, Daniel has really come into his own since switching to the Total Control Racing team ahead of rounds seven and eight at Oulton Park in May. Since that time, he has finished inside the top nine on all but two occasions and one of those was an enforced retirement.

Unfortunate to miss out on a maiden Clio Cup podium during the last event at Silverstone a fortnight ago, Daniel has proven time and again he has the pace to challenge right at the front. Rockingham is actually one of his favourite tracks and although he’s only ever driven a Clio there once before, the 17-year-old is hoping the Northamptonshire circuit could provide a breakthrough moment for him.

“I’ve only tested a Clio once before at Rockingham and that was during the winter series test day last November ”, commented Daniel, “I don’t know what to expect totally as we’ve only had that one run before but I do like Rockingham, it’s a good track and I’m really looking forward to the races.

“We’ve proven the pace is there to run at the front and be consistently in the top six and to be in the top 10 of the championship with just a couple of events to go is great for our first season in Clios. If things go our way at Rockingham we should have a good chance of taking our best result of the year. The car has been great and the team is doing a fantastic job so I’m feeling very positive.”

Pre-event testing for the penultimate event of the season will take place on Friday, 18th September, at the Corby track with qualifying for rounds 17 and 18 currently timetabled to get underway at around 14.45 on Saturday, 19th September.

Both races will be held on Sunday, 20th September, with round 17 beginning proceedings at 10.00 and round 18 following at approximately 15.15. Live television coverage of the second race, at least, will be screened on Freeview, digital satellite and cable channel ITV4. Please check listings for further details.

2009 Provisional ELF Renault Clio Cup Standings (after Rd16):
1st Philip Glew, 462pts; 2nd Alex MacDowall, 351pts; 10th Daniel Lloyd, 181pts

Photo by Jakob Ebrey Photography

ELF Renault Clio Cup front-runner Andrew Herron managed to maintain his top three placing in the driver standings over the weekend, 29th/30th August, at Silverstone National Circuit even though a potential podium finish in round 16 was snatched from his grasp due to contact early in the race.

Returning to his regular JHR Developments-run Clio for the first time since making a successful sportscar debut in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB Championship ‘VIP’ car at Knockhill in Scotland a fortnight ago, Andrew ended qualifying on Saturday disappointed with the outcome after missing out on the front row of the grid by around three 10ths of a second.

Such is the competitiveness of Clio Cup action at Silverstone’s short National Circuit, a deficit of just over a quarter of a second was enough to drop him to the fifth row of the grid and so for the weekend’s races, the 21-year-old from Dromore knew he would have a tough battle on his hands.

At the start of Saturday’s 15th round, the Brian Herron Contracts-backed racer wasn’t able to make up the ground he wanted on the first lap and so remained in 10th position until a moment on lap two dropped him to 13th place. Working hard to get back into the thick of the action, Andrew fought well and by lap 10 he had climbed into the top 10 with some quality overtaking.

Close behind David Dickenson and putting him under huge pressure, Andrew made the breakthrough on the penultimate lap and underlined the point of what might have been had he qualified higher by opening up a one second advantage over the course of the final 1.64-miles.

Sunday’s 16th round, which was screened live across the UK on ITV4, was another robust affair from which Andrew emerged with a top eight finish. Lapping on the pace of eventual race winner and series leader Philip Glew, the Northern Irishman easily had the potential to record his seventh podium of the season but a series of unfortunate incidents ruined his chances.

Making a lightning getaway from the fifth row of the grid, Andrew headed into Copse bearing down on the top four but contact then occurred between Lee Pattison and James Colburn sending both cars spinning into the path of the oncoming traffic.

Although Andrew managed to avoid major contact and move into the top four, his car did glance that of Pattison and the net result was damage to the steering on the JHR machine. Even though it compromised his straight-line speed, Andrew’s lap times were impressive and following a short Safety Car period he set about chasing down the top three.

On lap 10, third-placed Tom Carnaby ran wide at Copse under pressure which gave Andrew the chance to move into the podium positions but at Brooklands on the very same lap, contact from behind pitched him into a spin. By the time he recovered he was in ninth place and then received a further tap at Luffield which cost yet more time.

With his podium chance having slipped away through no fault of his own, Andrew mounted a good recovery and took the chequered flag on lap 21 in ninth place. Post-race though, Daniel Lloyd was handed a 1.5 second time penalty which promoted Andrew into the top eight.

Commenting on the weekend, he said: “In Sunday’s race, when (Lee) Pattison spun at the first corner, my car just made contact with him and that knocked my steering out which made the rest of the race really difficult. I had no straight line speed after that which was really frustrating as I had some good tyres and we were really quick through the corners.

“The top three pulled away from me on the straights but I still managed to hold my own until I got hit going into Brooklands. Having said that, we did make the weekend harder for ourselves with qualifying not going to plan. I didn’t get the first corner right and that was the difference between being on the fifth row for both races or the front row.”

Andrew added: “These weren’t the sort of results we need but its still given me some good points for the championship and we still have a chance of catching (Alex) MacDowall for second place. It’ll be tough but we’re going to give it a good go.”

Rounds 17 and 18 of the 2009 ELF Renault Clio Cup, the crucial penultimate event of the season, will take place at Rockingham in Northamptonshire three weeks from now, 19th/20th September.

Provisional 2009 ELF Renault Clio Cup Driver Standings (after Rd16):
1st Philip Glew, 462pts; 2nd Alex MacDowall, 351pts; 3rd Andrew Herron, 307pts

Photo by Jakob Ebrey Photography

British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) Rising Star Alex MacDowall secured his 10th ELF Renault Clio Cup podium of the 2009 season at Silverstone National Circuit over the weekend, 29th/30th August, with a tremendous drive through the order from ninth on the grid in the 15th round of the campaign.

While qualifying on Saturday morning didn’t go according to plan due to a small problem with the dampers on the 18-year-old’s car, he still managed to lap within two 10ths of a second of pole position with a time of 1m05.344 seconds (90.29mph) – a superb effort.

Uncharacteristically lining up on the fifth row of the grid for the first race of the weekend, Carlisle-based Alex got a good start and immediately began to make his presence felt at the sharp end as he made his way into the top five by lap two.

At the end of the sixth tour Alex gained another spot at the expense of Aron Smith, who was served with a drive-through penalty for a start-line indiscretion, and into lap seven a mere three 10ths of a second separated the Total Control Racing driver from third placed Tom Carnaby.

With the podium well within his sights Alex pressed on and by lap 11 he was in a position to make his move. Pulling alongside Carnaby at Luffield, the pair ran wheel-to-wheel into the 12th tour and Alex sealed the move by taking third place into Copse.

During the remaining seven laps, Alex pulled out a four second cushion over Carnaby while also closing to within just eight 10ths of a second of championship leader Philip Glew. In addition, he also posted the second fastest lap of the race with a time of 1m05.625 seconds.

Commenting on his latest podium success, the Cumbrian said: “I made a good start, didn’t really get boxed in and went around the outside of (James) Colburn at Copse. There were a lot of people going wide at the first corner but I judged it right and then into Becketts I passed (Aron) Smith for fifth.

“When I got into fourth place I started to catch Carnaby, he seemed to run really wide at Copse and get a good run so I decided to follow his line and it helped me get right onto the back of him and I then passed him at Luffield. He tried to come around the outside of me at Copse on the next lap but I kept the position and then I had the pace to catch the leaders.

“I was consistently doing fastest lap after fastest lap, the car was so hooked up and it was just a shame we had the damper problem in qualifying. If we had started on pole position, or the front row at least, I’m sure I could have won that race. I’m delighted to have another podium though.”

Sunday afternoon’s 16th round was totally luckless for Alex when damage incurred as he tried to avoid a first-corner collision resulted in an eventual retirement from the race on lap six, a harsh blow for his title aspirations. Nonetheless, thanks to Saturday’s impressive podium he retains the Vice-Champion’s position some 44 points clear of his nearest pursuer.

The penultimate race meeting of the 2009 ELF Renault Clio Cup, rounds 17 and 18, will take place three weeks from now over the weekend 19th/20th September at Rockingham International Super Sports Car Circuit in Northamptonshire.

Provisional 2009 ELF Renault Clio Cup Standings (after Rd16):
1st Philip Glew, 462pts; 2nd Alex MacDowall, 351pts; 3rd Andrew Herron, 307pts

Photo by Jakob Ebrey Photography

ELF Renault Clio Cup title contender Alex MacDowall recorded his 10th podium finish of the 2009 campaign at Silverstone National Circuit this afternoon, Saturday, 29th August, to consolidate his runner-up spot in the driver standings and remain in touch with series leader Philip Glew.

The Total Control Racing-run teenager, who started the 15th round of the season an uncharacteristic ninth on the grid after problems with his car’s dampers in qualifying, battled through the order very impressively and finished the race just over a second shy of the race winner, Dave Newsham. In the process, he also produced the second fastest lap of 1m05.625 seconds on the final tour.

Underlining the pace of the TCR cars were team-mates Daniel Lloyd and Mike Robinson, both of whom were faced with difficult challenges for different reasons. While Lloyd qualified a very strong fifth on the grid – a career best effort in Clio Cup – Robinson had to start from 21st and last position when a puncture, mere minutes into the qualifying session, forced him to pull off the circuit.

Although making a good getaway at the beginning of this afternoon’s race, Lloyd lost places on a robust opening lap after receiving a tap from behind and on the following tour he was pushed wide to lose yet more ground. Slipping to ninth position, he fought hard to come back through the order and took a top six finish while also posting the third fastest lap of 1m05.653 en route.

Bitterly disappointed to be starting at the back of the grid after his qualifying woes, Robinson proved beyond any doubt he could have been a podium contender by posting the fastest lap of all in the race – 1m05.566 seconds – and carving his way through to a well deserved 12th place finish.

For round 14 race winner Sam Tordoff, today’s race ended abruptly on lap 16 when he was pitched into retirement after being hit by the car of Stephen Tyldsley at the exit of Luffield. Battling over 12th position at the time, Tordoff’s enforced exit marks only his second non-score of the season.

“All four of our Clio drivers had good pace in the race, even though we did lack some performance in qualifying, and each of them did a solid job”, commented TCR team principal Lee Brookes, “It was great to be on the podium again with Alex, he drove very well, and Daniel’s top six was a very good result considering his troubles on the first couple of laps.

“Mike did a fantastic job to grab the fastest lap and it shows what he might have been able to do if he hadn’t had the puncture in qualifying which forced him to start in last place. We’re obviously very disappointed for Sam, the incident wasn’t his fault he just got hit and that was it.”

Photo by Jakob Ebrey Photography

Total Control Racing’s Daniel Lloyd secured his third top six finish of the 2009 ELF Renault Clio Cup season at Silverstone National Circuit in Northamptonshire this afternoon, Saturday, 29th August, to move back into ninth position in the championship standings following an excellent drive.

The 17-year-old, from Scammonden in West Yorkshire, displayed outstanding pace from the minute pre-race testing began on Friday and during this morning’s all-important qualifying session he was the highest placed TCR driver with a season-best fifth fastest time of 1m05.285 seconds (90.37mph), just two 10ths of a second shy of pole position.

At the start of round 15, Daniel initially got away from the third row of the grid well and looked all set to move into the top four before he received a tap to the rear of his Clio which pitched the car sideways and lost him several places. Managing to get the car pointing in the right direction nicely, he climbed back into the top six but on lap two Daniel was pushed wide at Maggotts and slipped to ninth.

Determined to get back into the top six, the TCR ace set about his recovery drive brilliantly and on lap four he posted the third quickest time of 1m05.653 seconds – faster than the best managed by either eventual race winner Dave Newsham or championship points leader Philip Glew – as he moved into eighth position.

After battling hard with Jake Packun and James Colburn during the mid part of the race, the trio trading positions more than once, Daniel emerged ahead on lap 12 and proceeded to close down fifth placed Lee Pattison. Between lap 14 and lap 17, Daniel closed the gap to Pattison from 1.2 seconds to just two 10ths of a second and just missed out on gaining another place before the finish.

Speaking after the opening race of the weekend, Daniel said: “On the first lap I got a tap from behind as we went through Becketts and Maggotts, the car was sideways but I managed to get it back in a straight line although we did lose a few places. Then I got pushed wide at the same place on the second lap so it made the first half of the race very hard work.

“Obviously a top six is a good result but it is a bit disappointing considering the pace we had, we easily had the speed to be on the podium for the first time. The car felt good and it was consistently fast all the way through the race, without the problems on the first couple of laps we’d have been able to challenge closer to the front. That’s what we intend to do tomorrow, we know we have the pace.”

With team-mate Sam Tordoff and experienced competitor Carl Bradley both failing to finish today’s encounter, Daniel has closed to within 11 points of the championship top eight and has pulled seven points clear of Bradley.

Round 16 of the 2009 ELF Renault Clio Cup will take place at Silverstone National Circuit tomorrow, Sunday, 30th August, at approximately 12.00 and will be screened live on digital satellite, cable and Freeview channel ITV4. Daniel will start the race from sixth on the grid thanks to his second best qualifying time from today of 1m05.447 seconds.

2009 Provisional ELF Renault Clio Cup Standings (after Rd15):
1st Philip Glew, 430pts; 2nd Alex MacDowall, 351pts; 9th Daniel Lloyd, 175pts

Photo by Jakob Ebrey Photography.