While the Clio Cup Europe takes a break this week, Clio Cup France, Clio Cup Spain and Clio Cup Eastern Europe gather at Circuit Nevers Magny-Cours for a stunning encounter with nearly 40 cars on the track from Thursday to Sunday!
The fourth event of the season offers a unique configuration in Clio Cup, with three national series and 37 drivers from 11 countries coming together at the former site of the French Formula One Grand Prix. With no less than nine individual wins in each race, the action promises to get lively in the Nièvre!
Clio Cup France: the game resumes
Among the participants in the Clio Cup France, David Pouget (GPA Racing) and Nicolas Milan (Milan Compétition) will resume their battle after each taking a win in Nogaro last month. However, they will have to keep an eye on Alexandre Albouy (GPA Racing), third overall and last time winner in the Challengers Cup.
Tension must also rise in the Challengers Cup. In addition to the protagonist already mentioned, there will also be some hungry young hopefuls such as Jordan Leneutre (JSB Competition) and Jerzy Spinkiewicz (Uniq Racing), who is getting closer to his first Clio Cup win. Meanwhile, Léo Jousset (Milan Compétition), Guillaume Maio (GM Sport), Aurélien Renet (JSB Compétition), Julien Baziret (Vic’Team) and Antoine Bordagaray (Team Borda Rally) will aim for their first success of the season on a track they know pretty well.
After his two homegrown Gentlemen Drivers Cup wins in Nogaro, Mathieu Rigoulet (Vic’Team) is looking to widen the gap with his rivals led by Horn (GPA Racing). Horn is not the only driver looking to end the leader’s winning streak, as Jérémy Bordagaray (Team Borda Rally), Lionel Viguier (T2CM) and title holder Laurent Dziadus (Team Lucas) all have the same goal. Meanwhile, Cédric Delcroix, Benjamin Cauvas, Pierre Monmaneix, Stéphane Nevrs and Yann-Maël Navillod are eager to represent GPA Racing. But Michel Faye (GM Sport) and Michel Leal (Milan Compétition) intend to take this pleasure away from them.
Clio Cup Spain: everyone against Royo!
Alex Royo (Team VRT) leads Clio Cup Spain after the first two races at Jarama last month. The 2017 title winner is looking to continue his winning streak, but his rivals are preparing to fight back and compete for the lead in the Challengers Cup.
Alex Lahoz (Cotauto Motorsport) and Jordi Palomeras (Team VRT) are all square in the overall standings and just one point apart in the Challengers Cup will be in contention, as will Nico Abella (Chefo Sport). After a first experience at Jarama, the Turkish Emre Can Ünal (Team VRT) and the Spanish Lydia Sempere (Team VRT) have higher ambitions. The latter will once again benefit from the support of the Renault Group Fundación España, a stakeholder in inclusion and solidarity, to break the taboos surrounding hearing loss.
The game will also resume in the Gentlemen Drivers Cup. Fabien Julia (LR Performance), winner of the two races in Spain, will try to repeat his feat in front of his home crowd, but Spaniard Joaquin Rodrigo (Vearsa Sport) hopes to repay his rival on his own turf!
Clio Cup Eastern Europe, the debut!
The Clio Cup Eastern Europe, newly created this year, starts the season with an incredibly open field.
Already a frontrunner in the Clio Cup Europe, Marc Guillot (Milan Competition) can count on his previous Magny-Cours experience to excel in front of his home crowd to become the first leader of the series, but the Burgundian native has his job perfect for him against, for example, three-time Clio Cup Central Europe title winner Tomáš Pekař (Carpek Service) from the Czech Republic, while Swiss Andreas Stucki (Stucki Motorsport) also wants to put his experience to good use in his bid for a first Clio Cup crown.
Against this trio, Germany’s Henrik Seibel (Carpek Service), Finnish Juuso Panttila (Carpek Service) and Taiwanese Lin Chen Han (Uniq Racing) can rely on their eagerness to compete for the title. Unless Dutch Stephan Polderman (Chefo Sport) and Rene Steenmetz (Chefo Sport), who are both competing in the Gentlemen Drivers Cup, can surprise and shake up the hierarchy!
TIMETABLE
Thursday 12 May
6:25-6:55 pm: Collective test 1
Friday 13 May
10:45-11:15 am: Collective test 2
3:30-3:50 pm: Qualifying 1
Saturday 14 May
12:25-12:55 pm: Race 1 (25 minutes + 1 lap) | Facebook | Youtube
Sunday 15 May
11:20-11:40 am: Qualifying 2
5:15-5:45 pm: Race 2 (25 minutes + 1 lap) | Facebook | Youtube