Picture credit : Kingsley Newman
Salisbury’s Will Davison, carried on his learning curve in the Air Asia Renault Clio Cup, with a pair of top 20 finishes on a treacherous weekend at Thruxton last weekend. It was also the Stratford Motors backed driver’s first races at Thruxton.
It was 16 year old Davison’s third weekend of Clio Cup competition. The Thruxton circuit in Hampshire is the fastest track in the UK. It is hard enough in the dry, let alone the torrential rain that the weekend produced. Davison qualified in 21st place with a time of 1:34.084, his second fastest time that would set the grid for Sunday’s sixth round of the championship, saw him climb up into 20th with a 1:34.095.
Round five on a damp circuit saw Davison involved in a race long battle, with Lithuanian driver Tautvydas Barstys and Darren Wilson. Davison’s persistence paid off as he found a way past Barstys with two laps to go and took 18th place. Davison is also in the Rookie Cup category for drivers under 23, with less than four Clio Cup races before the season started. Davison would claim a seventh place in class, gaining points on drivers who did not finish the 12 lap race.
Round six on Sunday saw the rain so heavy that the race had to begin under the safety car. The race shown live on ITV4, saw Davison once again battle with Barstys, with the Salisbury teenager once again coming out on top. Davison also found himself on the final stage of the last lap fighting with a recovering Nic Hamilton, the brother of 2008 Formula One champion Lewis. Hamilton just edged Davison to the line by half a second. Davison also claimed another seventh place in the Rookie Cup.
The Clio Cup has a five week break before the next round at Oulton Park in Cheshire, Will Davison finds himself in 17th place overall and in 7th place in the Rookie Cup. Davison is growing more confident with every race, Oulton Park could see the youngest driver in the championship go further up the leader board.
Dan Blake
Westbourne Motorsport Press Officer