THRUXTON REPORT
In front of a capacity crowd on the 9th-10th May, the Renault Clio Cup UK moved south to Thruxton in Hampshire for another action-packed two races around the notoriously difficult 2.3 mile circuit. The circuits abrasive surface and long-loaded corners made extracting performance from the tyres a particular challenge, but yet again Rory Collingbourne was able to assert himself in one of the most competitive race series in the UK.
Qualifying was a tale of strateigic brilliance from Rory and the rest of his Team Cooksport squad. By running the session behind his team-mate, Rory was able to get a decent tow from the rear end of the Clio in front, improving his overall pace and allowing him to put the car in 9th and 6th positions respectively for the two races on Sunday. The move was replicated in the BTCC that same day as Aron Smith received a tow from Jason Plato that allowed him to set pole position, so clearly Rory’s short time in the championship has allowed him to pick up some valuable tricks!
From 9th on the grid in race one, Rory was able to make a good start and sit behind the championship leader on the run down to turn one. However, the sharp nature of the corner and being sat on the inside line meant an earlier braking point for the Newport-based racer, which allowed several cars to pass on the faster outside line. Contact on the second lap of the race also meant Rory sustained damage to his 1.6 litre Renault Clio in the form of a bent track rod. This then put the cars steering out of position and made the task around the UK’s fastest circuit even more challenging. However, yet again Rory rose to the challenge and managed to defend the 9th position he had started in to the checkered flag despite his handicap, leading many to wonder what might have been if not for the contact. Yet again it was a fine example of Collingbourne growing into the championship. The question was; could he repeat this good performance again on Sunday?
Live in front of the ITV cameras, race two saw Rory take to the grid in his highest position yet this season with 6th. From the start Rory was immediately able to hold onto the rear of the cars fighting for the lead and heading through the first few corners there was little to chose between the top six or seven. Heading into the Complex, Collingbourne continued to challenge for 5th, first taking the outside line into the right hander to ensure the inside line for the left that followed, however James Colburn, an experienced competitor, was wise to the move and able to hold the position through this fast-paced sequence of corners, albeit by fractions of a second. By the end of the first lap the dramas had left Rory placed 8th but with a host of cars less than a second up the road it was all to play for. At a third race distance, Collingbourne was able to relieve Dan Holland of 7th heading into Church and start to work towards claiming his starting position back. Two laps later and the gap to 6th was down to just seven tenths of a second. Rory shaved another four tenths off this lap with just a third of the race to go. Towards the end of lap 8, Rory attracted the undivided attention of the ITV commentators, first moving past James Colburn into 6th and then making a sensational move on championship headliner Jordan Stilp to claim 5th, once again the move coming at the high-speed Church corner. Team-mate Charlie Laddell was able to take 5th heading into the first corner following a side-by-side drag race on the start/finish straight, but sitting in 6th, Rory set about defending another solid points finish from the pack behind with just three laps to run. Then, with just two laps to go, James Colburn ran wide in front of Rory, forcing the Newport-based driver to run wide at Church in avoidance and onto the grass. The fast nature of the corner ensured several drivers were able to close up and Rory dropped to 8th. With little time to amend the error, 8th was where he would finish, however an excellent race, culminating in another good points finish, cemented Rory’s progress and certainly caught the attention of the TV cameras.
The weekend’s results meant that Rory left the Hampshire circuit placed 8th in the overall championship and 4th in the Graduate Cup. The series next heads to Oulton Park in Cheshire in a months time for another two action-packed rounds. Please come along to support Rory if you can, or otherwise catch the action live on ITV4 on the 7th-8th June.
