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.

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.

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

Andrew Herron made his sixth visit of 2009 to the ELF Renault Clio Cup podium at Snetterton Circuit in Norfolk yesterday, Sunday, 2nd August, after a titanic battle with fellow championship contenders Philip Glew and Alex MacDowall.

Serving up outstanding entertainment, just six 10ths of a second separated the top four drivers at the finish with 21-year-old Andrew sandwiched between series leader Glew in second position and fourth placed MacDowall, the current championship runner-up.

Still striving for his elusive first win of the year, Dromore-based Andrew certainly had the pace to fight for his maiden 2009 success but with the top drivers so evenly matched, and overtaking incredibly difficult for that very reason, third place was still an excellent result.

Running in fourth position on the opening lap, where he started on the grid, Andrew ran closely with the top three until lap four when MacDowall ran off the circuit while dicing with Glew at Russell Chicane and the net result meant Andrew nipped through into third place.

While coming under pressure from MacDowall for the remainder of the race, Andrew also applied increasing pressure of his own to second-placed Glew but had to settle for third position in the end.

Round 13 on Saturday, 1st August, didn’t get off to the best start for Andrew when he was forced slightly wide at Sear Corner in his JHR Developments-run Clio, dropping him to eighth place. After a short Safety Car period he soon set about trying to pass the cars ahead and took seventh from James Colburn at the Bomb Hole on the very first racing lap.

Posting the fastest lap on the sixth tour and bettering the time on lap eight with a lap of 1m19.111 seconds, which ended up being the second quickest of the race, the Northern Irishman piled on the pressure to the cars ahead as light rain started to fall and get persistently heavier.

Making conditions incredibly difficult with everyone on slick tyres, Andrew’s skill shone through and he grabbed sixth place from Carl Bradley at the end of lap 13. The race was halted on lap 14 due to the worsening conditions and with the result taken from the end of lap 13, Andrew was sixth.

“Sixth wasn’t a bad result in the first race after getting forced wide early on at Sear but the second race definitely showed our true speed”, commented Andrew, “I got a good start to Sunday’s round and I had the pace to win really but it’s so hard to pass without making contact at Snetterton.

“It was a really good, close but clean race at the front which was nice to be involved in. The three drivers around me were all doing a good job. It’s great to be on the podium again and the aim for the rest of the year is to be on the podium at every event. I still want that first win of the year too!”

There is now a four week break in the ELF Renault Clio Cup calendar with rounds 15 and 16 seeing the category make its second visit of the year to Silverstone in Northamptonshire, albeit this time on the shorter National Circuit configuration over the weekend 29th/30th August.

In the meantime, Andrew is set to embark on his competitive sportscar racing debut in the prestigious Porsche Carrera Cup GB Championship two weeks from now, 15th/16th August, at Knockhill in Scotland. Driving the ‘VIP’ car, he is scheduled to take part in the 13th and 14th rounds of the series as part of his prize for getting through to the final stages of the category’s 2009 scholarship earlier this year.

Provisional 2009 ELF Renault Clio Cup Driver Standings (after Rd14):
1st Philip Glew, 402pts; 2nd Alex MacDowall, 326pts; 3rd Andrew Herron, 282pts