Westbourne Motorsport will begin their quest to secure titles in both classes of the Michelin Clio Cup Series this weekend [24-25 March] as the championship hosts its opening two rounds at Silverstone.
The Worthing-based outfit will field 2.0 litre, third generation Clio Cup cars for Ben Colburn, Ronan Pearson, Finlay Robinson and Tony Verhulst, with Sean Thomas and Darren Gaeraarts set to challenge for the honours in the Road Series for race-converted Renaultsport 197 and 200 models.
The season opener follows an extensive winter testing programme that has not only included dates at the ‘Home of British Motorsport’, but a host of others including Brands Hatch, Snetterton and Rockingham.
Qualifying is scheduled to take place on Saturday afternoon, with a pair of 18 lap races around the 1.6 mile National configuration of the world-famous venue due on Sunday.
Following that, the team will get set to kick off their Renault UK Clio Cup campaign with James Colburn and James Dorlin at Brands Hatch the following weekend [7th-8th April].
Finlay Robinson said, “I’m feeling confident ahead of the weekend. I’ve done a lot of testing to prepare for the start of the new season, and I’ve familiarised myself with the behaviour of the car and how it controls. The objective is to aim for podium finishes right from the off.”
Ronan Pearson said, “This weekend can’t come soon enough for me! It’s an incredible opportunity for me, everyone has worked incredibly hard to get me to this point and I’m very grateful. I head into the season opener with no pressure and aiming to have fun.
“We’d like to be competitive and hopefully finish near the sharp end, but ultimately finishing both races is a priority and I’ve been learning every time I’ve gone out in the car. The car itself is a big change from the JSCC but I’ve had four full days of testing so far and I’m feeling ready.”
Sean Thomas said, “I’m feeling confident and excited, and above all I’m looking forward to some close, competitive racing. After a strong start to life in the championship in 2017, nothing but a win will do this weekend at Silverstone!
“We’ve had a very busy off-season looking for partners, and we’ve only had minimal testing with our brand-new car but it went exceptionally well. I’m looking forward to getting back on the grid and the new season underway.”