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The 2024 Clio Cup Great Britain Championship gets underway with its first ever round at Brands Hatch this weekend (Saturday 1 June). Competitors will take to the track for two races on the famed Grand Prix layout, as Clio Cup action returns to British shores under the stewardship of MotorSport Vision Trackdays (MSVT).
Two generations of the iconic French hatchback will feature on the grid during the inaugural event, with competitors racing both the latest Clio V II and previous-spec GEN 4 Clio. These machines will take to the Kent circuit’s extended layout for a 15-minute qualifying session before a pair of 20-minute races.
This year’s grid includes a wealth of national motorsport experience, including a three-car effort from established squad Westbourne Motorsport. Ben Colburn, who raced in a previous version of the UK’s domestic Clio Cup, is joined in the team by 2023 Junior Saloon Car Champion Daire Flock and Leonardo Panayiotou. Another well-known team joining the fray from this weekend is Graves Motorsport, which extends its reach within the domestic motorsport scene with a one-car entry for Nicky Taylor.
The entry also features a host of drivers who are using Clio Cup GB as a step up from other areas of MSVT’s racing portfolio. These include multiple Trackday Championship Champion Ray Honeybone (Apple Car Centre), as well as Richard Clarke (Finsport) and Kevin Stirling (Team Norfolk). All three have previously appeared in MSVT’s Trackday Trophy alongside Trackday Championship, earning multiple podiums and race victories along the way. It will be interesting to see how they fare after stepping into the Clio Cup GB.
The Brands Hatch double-header kicks off a busy maiden season for Clio Cup GB, with rounds at Anglesey, Snetterton, Donington Park and Oulton Park to follow ahead of a return visit to Brands Hatch for an Indy circuit fixture in November.
Competitors this weekend will take to a circuit steeped in history, and it will be fascinating to see who emerges with their place permanently etched into that history as the first ever winner in Clio Cup GB under MSVT’s organisation.
Full information on Clio Cup GB, including how to register and enter, can be accessed via our official website.
Photo: Gary Hawkins