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ELF Renault Clio Cup Ridley-Holloway Delighted With Snetterton Test Pace

North Devon saloon car racer Jonathan Ridley-Holloway produced one of the strongest and most consistent testing performances of his maiden ELF Renault Clio Cup season at Snetterton Circuit in Norfolk today, Thursday, 3rd July, and is now hoping to translate his pace into solid results when the championship resumes next weekend, 12th/13th July.

Jonathan, who celebrated his 24th birthday last week, concluded the day with a best time of 1m 18.954 seconds (96.89mph) in session four which actually placed him as the fifth fastest driver during the final period. Of the quartet of sessions run today, the Barnstaple ace finished inside the top 10 during three of them.

At the wheel of his Total Control Racing run car, Jonathan started off well with the ninth quickest time of 1m 19.608 seconds (88.27mph) in the first session of the morning, just seven 10ths of a second shy of the top of the times.

Session two saw him improve to within six 10ths of a second of pace-setting team-mate Mike Robinson, a lap of 1m 19.144 seconds (88.78mph) placing him seventh fastest, and then in the day’s third outing Jonathan dipped below the 1m 19 second barrier for the first time with a lap of 1m 18.976 seconds (88.97mph).

“Things went very well today, other than the third session where we didn’t get the best out of the new tyres I’m really pleased with the work we’ve done”, said Jonathan, “We didn’t quite have the car right in session three but after we made a couple of changes, in session four we ended up in the top five so I’m delighted with that.

“It was roasting hot and although we did have a couple of rain showers it wasn’t a problem as the track was always dry in time for our sessions. I really enjoyed today, it was nice to be back in the car after such a long break since Croft and I’m feeling pretty confident ahead of next weekend’s races.”

Supported throughout his 2008 ELF Renault Clio Cup campaign by PicoPC.co.uk, Bond Oxborough Phillips and A4 Apparel, Jonathan has been progressively improving throughout the course of the year and is just five points shy of the coveted championship top 15. Potentially, the Snetterton races could provide his best results of the season.

“As always, we’ll see how it goes but I reckon we can do a good job next weekend”, he added, “Today’s test was a good team effort. Mike (Robinson) helped me out with a few pointers and it was good having Fulvio (Mussi – former Clio Cup and SEAT Cupra Championship front-runner) on board for the day. I really benefited from his experience.”

Following a brace of practice sessions at Snetterton a week tomorrow, Friday, 11th July, qualifying for the 13th and 14th rounds of the ELF Renault Clio Cup season will take place at 11.40 on Saturday, 12th July. The first race of the weekend, round 13, will then get underway at 17.00.

Round 14 is timetabled to commence at 14.25 on Sunday, 13th July, and is expected to be screened live on Freeview, digital satellite and cable channel ITV4 as part of the HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship support race package.

ELF Renault Clio Cup Incident Packed Silverstone Races Cost Ridley-Holloway

Total Control Racing’s Jonathan Ridley-Holloway saw the promise of a season’s best result at Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit go begging yesterday, Sunday, 8th June, after contact in both of the weekend’s races saw a brilliant qualifying effort unfortunately deliver little in the way of reward.

Competing as part of the second biggest motor racing event in the country this year, the British round of the World Series by Renault, the Barnstaple-based ELF Renault Clio Cup racer produced a terrific performance in qualifying to claim eighth position on the grid for round 11 with a time of 2m 09.851 seconds (142.5km/h).

At the start of the first encounter, Jonathan – who celebrates his 24th birthday a little under three weeks from now – got away cleanly from the fourth row of the grid to follow team-mate Mike Robinson through Copse but on entry to the corner his Clio received a whack from behind, pitching Jonathan into a slide.

Recovering well, but having lost places, the category rookie pressed on and into lap two was down in 14th position with a lot of work to do to try and make up the ground he lost through no fault of his own.

Involved in a tight battle with Alex Osborne, David Dickenson and Aron Smith, Jonathan looked well placed to mount a challenge for a top 12 placing as the race headed towards mid distance but yet more contact shuffled him back further to an eventual finish of 18th.

Disappointed, especially considering the top eight pace he produced in testing and qualifying, the Bond Oxborough Phillips, PicoPC.co.uk and A4 Apparel supported racer headed into round 12 full of optimism for an improved performance. This he at least got with a top 12 finish and much needed points towards his top 15 championship battle.

Gaining two places on the opening lap, Jonathan then moved past Chris Rice on the second tour into 15th place before the Safety Car was deployed due to the stricken cars of Stephen Tyldsley and Chris Panayiotou being in need of recovery.

At the re-start on lap six, the North Devon racer got away well behind Lee Pattison and tagged on to a train of four other cars all battling over 11th place. Incredibly close to Pattison, but unable to make a decisive move, into lap nine Jonathan’s target became Richard Cannon who had slipped to 14th place.

Another Safety Car period came on lap 11 following an accident involving Gavin Pyper and Alex Osborne. The result of their tangle was a collision for Carl Bradley, the removal of him from the equation seeing Jonathan move back into 13th place ahead of the start of the cautionary period.

At the re-start, over just one lap, Jonathan gained another place when Niki Lanik crashed out into the gravel. This allowed the TCR man to claim his fifth top 12 result of his debut season in the ELF Renault Clio Cup, from 21 finishers.

Speaking on the weekend, the TCR star said: “Race one was really disappointing, we had very good pace and after qualifying I felt confident we could do a good job but I got a whack from behind going through Copse on the first lap and my race fell apart from there really. To get a top 12 in race two wasn’t too bad but it’s not what I wanted.

“The pace is definitely coming now, we were in the top eight in testing and qualifying so I know with some better fortune we’ll be able to move up the order towards the championship top 10. We’ve been bashed about a bit this weekend but hopefully at Snetterton in three weeks we’ll be ok.”

Following the weekend’s action, which was watched by an incredible combined crowd attendance of 110,000 over the course of the two days, Jonathan is 16th in the driver standings on 77 points, just 18 points shy of the top 12.

Returning to its regular slot on the HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship race package for the next event, rounds 13 and 14, the ELF Renault Clio Cup will resume five weeks from now on 12th/13th July at Snetterton in Norfolk.

ELF Renault Clio Cup Ridley-Holloway On Form Ahead Of Biggest Event Of 2008

Jonathan Ridley-Holloway continued his excellent run of recent form at Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit this afternoon, Friday, 6th June, during pre-event testing ahead of the weekend’s 11th and 12th rounds of the ELF Renault Clio Cup.

Gearing up for the biggest event on his 2008 calendar, the World Series by Renault festival, the 23-year-old continued where he left off last weekend by producing another highly impressive performance today. He lapped the full 3.2-mile Silverstone GP configuration with the eighth quickest time.

Posting a best lap of 2m 10.063 seconds (142.3 km/h), the Barnstaple racer ended the test session just seven 10ths of a second outside the quickest time managed by current series leader Ben Winrow in fourth place.

“It’s not been a bad day at all, to end the session eighth fastest was pretty good and I’m feeling confident for qualifying”, said Jonathan, “We still need to find some more time but I know where I lost out today so we’ll be aiming to put that right. We did have a bit of trouble getting the set-up sorted but I’m sure things will be better tomorrow.”

Proving last weekend’s career best ELF Renault Clio Cup race result of seventh position at Croft Circuit in North Yorkshire was no fluke, the A4 Apparel, PicoPC.co.uk and Bond Oxborough Phillips supported star ran strongly throughout this afternoon’s test. As high as third part way through, Jonathan was inside the top six with just 10 minutes to go.

The North Devon charger’s next track action will come at 17.45 tomorrow, Saturday, 7th June, during qualifying for the weekend’s two races. Round 11 will then take place at 09.50 on Sunday, 8th June, with round 12 expected to follow at approximately 15.45.

As the biggest race meeting of his short motorsport career, which only began in 2005, the Total Control Racing ace can’t wait to compete on Silverstone’s Grand Prix Circuit again this weekend having raced on the famous track previously during the Britcar 24 Hour endurance race.

An incredible 150,000 spectators are set to attend this year’s World Series by Renault festival at Silverstone, marking it out as the second largest competitive motor racing event to be held in the UK in 2008 – certainly the biggest crowd Jonathan will ever have competed in front of. Only the British Grand Prix will likely command larger crowds.

He added: “It’s going to be a huge weekend, racing in front of such a big crowd will be a fantastic experience. I really enjoyed the test session today, it was good fun, and I’m feeling pretty good about our chances for qualifying and Sunday’s races.”

ELF Renault Clio Cup Career Best Clio Cup Finish For Ridley-Holloway

North Devon saloon car racer Jonathan Ridley-Holloway concluded by far his most consistent and successful race weekend of the 2008 ELF Renault Clio Cup at Croft Circuit in North Yorkshire yesterday, Sunday, 1st June, to climb to within just three points of the championship top 15.
 
The 23-year-old, who lives in Barnstaple, is improving with every outing in his Total Control Racing prepared Clio Cup race car and at Croft yesterday he took a superb top seven finish during the 10th round of the campaign – just missing out on sixth place by a mere three 10ths of a second at the chequered flag.
 
Travelling the 350 miles from his home in the South West to Croft on Friday for pre-event testing, Jonathan instantly performed well and posted the seventh fastest time in practice, pace he carried through to qualifying on Saturday.
 
Lining up seventh on the grid for yesterday’s 10th round of the season, Jonathan didn’t make the best start but soon made his way into the top eight and then began to catch Aron Smith and Alex Osborne ahead.
 
With the latter running wide at the hairpin at the end of lap eight, Smith nipped through to sixth place and Jonathan managed to snatch seventh. The Bond Oxborough Phillips, A4 Apparel and PicoPC.co.uk backed racer pressured Smith all the way to the finish and in the process pulled some 2.4 seconds clear of Osborne over the last four laps.
 
“I’m really happy with the performance I showed on Sunday, pace wise it wasn’t bad at all and especially considering we struggled with set-up a bit in qualifying”, commented Jonathan, “Thanks to my consistent second fastest lap though it put us on row four and that gave me the chance to run with the other front guys which was a lot of fun.
 
“I didn’t get a great start to the race, I dropped to eighth at the first corner and then my car was smacked on entry to Hawthorn which almost had me facing the wrong way round. I managed to catch the car though, got it all pointing in the right direction and went on to have a good race.”
 
During Saturday’s ninth round, Jonathan took the chequered flag in 14th position but this later became a top 12 finish when Chris Law was handed a time penalty and Gavin Pyper was excluded from the results.
 
Ridley-Holloway Promotes ‘Devon Pride’
This weekend’s races at Croft saw the roof of Jonathan’s Clio Cup race car adorned with the Flag of Devon – St Petroc’s Cross – as the young saloon car star bids to promote his Devonian roots through his racing.
 
Taking into account his season’s best result during round 10 on Sunday, the presence of the flag looks to have already had a major bearing on his level of success and Jonathan is now aiming to attract increased support for his racing career from local businesses.

“This weekend was the first this year where I’ve run with the Flag of Devon on the roof of my car and it coincided with my best ever result in Clios – hopefully that kind of luck will continue”, said Jonathan, “We’re making good progress so hopefully we’ll be able to attract some additional local sponsors to help us make even bigger strides in 2009.”
 
Jonathan will be back behind the wheel of his race car in double-quick time this week in preparation for the weekend’s 11th and 12th rounds of the 2008 season which will take place at Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit in Northamptonshire.
 
After official testing on Friday, 6th June, the TCR driver will take part in qualifying on Saturday, 7th June, at approximately 17.45. Both races are then scheduled for Sunday, 8th June, with round 11 expected to commence at 09.50 and round 12 timetabled to get underway at around 15.45.
 
Away from its regular slot on the HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship package, the Clio Cup will compete at Silverstone next weekend as support to the pan-European World Series by Renault category and also the Eurocup Megane Trophy.
 
Some 150,000 spectators are expected to attend the hugely popular event, attendance figures which place the British round of the World Series by Renault second only to the Formula One British Grand Prix. At the corresponding event in 2007, which was held at Donington Park, around 135,000 enthusiasts filed through the gates.

ELF Renault Clio Cup Croft Preview

ELF Renault Clio Cup racer Jonathan Ridley-Holloway is aiming to build on the form he produced last Sunday at his home circuit, Thruxton, when the series resumes for rounds nine and 10 of the season at Croft in North Yorkshire next weekend, 31st May/1st June.

The Bond Oxborough Phillips, A4 Apparel and PicoPC.co.uk backed driver enjoyed one of his better outings of 2008 last weekend, producing genuine top 10 pace in both qualifying and race trim and equalling his best finish in the championship with a battling ninth place in round seven.

Barnstaple-based Jonathan is certainly beginning to show he is capable of challenging as a front-runner in the Clio Cup and having previously competed at Croft at the wheel of his Total Control Racing-run car in the 2007 Winter Championship, he heads into next weekend’s action quietly confident of another strong top 10 showing.

“It’s taken longer than I’d hoped to get inside the top 10 and challenge strongly but at Thruxton I was pretty happy with our pace”, commented the 23-year-old, “To be running nose-to-tail throughout the first race with my team-mate Mike (Robinson) was a good indicator that I’m improving and moving in the right direction.

“We’ve certainly had more than our fair share of troubles so far this season but I think it’s not too far wide of the mark to say we’re beginning to turn the corner. The team is doing a terrific job with the car and I’m really enjoying working with Lee (Brookes – TCR team boss) and the boys. If I can deliver a couple of top 10 finishes at Croft I’ll be happy.”

Consistency is one of the things Jonathan is striving for most next weekend. Looking back at his two best race performances so far this year, each has come alongside a less favourable result at the events in question – Rockingham and Thruxton – but that’s a trend he’s aiming to reverse at Croft just over a week from now.

Qualifying for rounds nine and 10 of the 2008 ELF Renault Clio Cup will take place at 10.50 on Saturday, 31st May, with the first of the weekend’s races scheduled to follow at approximately 15.55. Round 10 is timetabled for 15.45 on Sunday, 1st June, and will be featured live on Freeview, cable and digital satellite channel ITV4.

Ahead of the race weekend itself on Friday, 30th May, the Clio Cup competitors will have the benefit of two free practice sessions at the North Yorkshire venue.

ELF Renault Clio Cup Ridley-Holloway Equals Season's Best At Thruxton

Total Control Racing’s Jonathan Ridley-Holloway served up an excellent performance during the seventh round of the ELF Renault Clio Cup over the weekend, 17th/18th May, the Barnstaple racer equalling his previous best with a competitive ninth place finish.
 
Racing at his nearest venue, Thruxton Circuit in Hampshire, the 23-year-old qualified strongly on Saturday with the 12th fastest time of 1m 24.764 seconds (100.06mph) although this later became 10th on the grid when Mardi Gras Motorsport team-mates Gavin Pyper and Aron Smith were both excluded from the results.

Making a good start, Jonathan didn’t lose ground and ran in 10th place as the Safety Car was deployed on lap two following an opening lap incident. At the re-start on lap five, he resisted pressure from Carl Bradley and then problems for Derek Pierce on lap seven saw the TCR star gain a place into ninth.

The PicoPC.co.uk, A4 Apparel and Bond Oxborough Phillips backed driver then closed on team-mate Mike Robinson in eighth position and with nothing more than a few 10ths of a second splitting the pair at any stage, they took the chequered flag line astern on lap 15 less than three 10ths of a second apart.

“I managed to get alongside Mike a couple of times but with him being my team-mate I didn’t want to commit to anything and potentially risk any kind of incident”, commented Jonathan, “Finishing in ninth is pretty good, I’m fairly happy with that and I think this weekend has shown we definitely have the pace to be regularly in the top 10 now.”

Round eight, which took place on Sunday afternoon, saw Jonathan start in 11th place and on the opening lap he climbed up into the top seven with some terrific driving. All looking good for another decent result, the race started to unravel somewhat following a spin on lap three.

Trying to recover, the North Devon racer had another spin on lap six and on lap nine he decided to retire to the pits due to the fact he had flat-spotted tyres which were offering very little in the way of grip – not something any driver wants when driving on the ragged edge through some of the most fearsome corners in UK motorsport.

“The first lap was mega, I made up a lot of places and got up to about seventh place but then I lost the car going through Goodwood and had a bit of a moment”, he added, “I managed to get the car back but then I had another spin the next time around.

“I ended up flat-spotting the tyres and grip was a big problem so I decided to park the car in the pits for safety as it wasn’t worth continuing. It’s a shame we couldn’t finish with another top 10 to add to Saturday’s but I’m still pretty happy with how things have gone overall. Hopefully Croft two weeks from now will be good too.”

Rounds nine and 10 of the 2008 ELF Renault Clio Cup season will take place at Croft Circuit in North Yorkshire, just two weeks from now, on 31st May/1st June.

ELF Renault Clio Cup Thruxton Preview

North Devon saloon car racer Jonathan Ridley-Holloway heads to his most local venue. Thruxton Circuit in Hampshire, next weekend, 17th/18th May, bidding for a reversal in fortunes after a somewhat tricky start to his maiden season in the ELF Renault Clio Cup.

Six races in to the campaign the Barnstaple 23-year-old has recorded an impressive best of ninth position so far, at Rockingham in Northamptonshire during the third round of the season.

He’s hungry for more though and after a patchy outing at Donington last weekend where qualifying didn’t go to plan and he was eliminated from the second race having made a terrific start, Jonathan hopes to truly kick-start his season when the championship arrives at his ‘home’ circuit just over a week from now.
 
Even though undoubtedly the closest track on the 2008 calendar to Jonathan’s home, Thruxton is still well over 100 miles away. Determined to replicate the kind of performance he produced at Rockingham in mid-April, the Total Control Racing driver sees the UK’s fastest track as the ideal venue to do just that next weekend.

“It’s been a bit of a disappointing start to the year really. We’ve had quite a bit of bad fortune during most of the race weekends which has been frustrating as, during several of the tests and at Rockingham of course, we had top 10 pace”, commented the West Country racer.

“There have been one or two niggles with the car which we think we’ve managed to get to the bottom of and now I’m just hoping we can have a trouble-free weekend and start to show the performance I know we’re capable of. It would be great to achieve my best results of the season at Thruxton, it’s a fantastic track and the racing should be exciting.”

The Bond Oxborough Phillips, PicoPC.co.uk and A4 Apparel supported racer knows he has the ability to become a consistent top 10 runner for the remainder of his first ever season of sprint racing in the ultra-competitive Clio Cup. Now he is bidding to put that into practice with two solid and consistent top 10 finishes.

ELF Renault Clio Cup qualifying for the seventh and eighth rounds of the season will take place at 14.00 on Saturday, 17th May, with the first of the weekend’s two races scheduled to begin at 17.35.

Round eight is timetabled to follow on Sunday, 18th May, at approximately 13.25 and is expected to be screened live on Freeview, digital satellite and cable channel ITV4 as part of the British Touring Car Championship broadcast.

ELF Renault Clio Cup Difficult Donington Weekend Disappoints Ridley-Holloway

Barnstaple’s Jonathan Ridley-Holloway concluded the latest ELF Renault Clio Cup race meeting at Donington Park disappointed with the outcome after being forced into retirement during the second encounter yesterday, Sunday, 4th May.

The 23-year-old championship rookie, who has stepped up to the Clio Cup this year from the endurance-based Britcar and Production S1 categories, achieved a top 12 finish during round five on Saturday, 3rd May, but Sunday afternoon’s encounter came to an abrupt end for the Total Control Racing star before he’d even completed a lap.

During qualifying – which was affected by a stoppage part way through due to Jonathan Shepherd colliding with the pitwall – the North Devon racer produced a best lap of 1m 19.469 seconds (88.66mph) and although within a second of pole position, he lined up 20th on the grid.

For the round six grid, Jonathan’s consistency helped him improve as his second fastest qualifying lap of 1m 19.495 seconds was good enough for 18th place. Nonetheless, he was disappointed not to have been closer to the top 10.

Having identified a problem with dampers on his car during the official pre-event test on Thursday, the TCR mechanics rectified the issue but Jonathan couldn’t quite achieve the lap times he wanted in qualifying as he tried to adjust to the different feel of his Clio.

At the start of round five, he enjoyed a great opening lap – avoiding a three car incident at the Old Hairpin – to climb into the top 15. However, the race was red flagged due to the stranded vehicles from the aforementioned collision.

The race got back underway on lap six and after making up a further place due to a spin by team-mate Alex MacDowall, Jonathan then benefited from bad luck for Gavin Pyper on lap nine. Running in 13th position, Jonathan then became locked in a tight battle with four other drivers for the remainder of the race – particularly during the last few laps.

Taking the chequered flag in 13th place, he was later credited with a top 12 finish after Chris Law was excluded from the results due to his involvement in an incident which eliminated Paul Rivett from proceedings.

At the start of Sunday’s sixth round, Jonathan made another good getaway and he looked poised to challenge strongly having gained five positions during the first two thirds of the opening lap. Sadly, contact at Goddards eliminated him from the race.

He commented: “I thought I was ok on the outside of (Niki) Lanik but then I took a hit from another car up the inside and couldn’t do anything about it – my car was damaged and that was the end of the race unfortunately.

“It’s a shame because I’d made a good start and the first lap had gone well up to that point. We were up inside the top 15 and although we should have been higher, it would have at least been a reasonable finish. It’s been a bit of a weekend to forget in all honesty, the points on Saturday were welcome but I wasn’t happy with my pace.”

The next event on the 2008 ELF Renault Clio Cup calendar sees the championship visit Thruxton Circuit in Hampshire on 17th/18th May. Even though the venue is well over 100 miles from Jonathan’s North Devon home, it’s still classed as his ‘home’ track so he’ll be hoping for his best outing of the season so far.

In the meantime, highlights of the Clio Cup action from the first event of the season at Brands Hatch will be screened tomorrow, Tuesday, 6th May, at 17.00 on Freeview, digital satellite and cable channel ITV4 as part of the Motorsport UK magazine programme.

ELF Renault Clio Cup Ridley-Holloway On Top Form During Croft Test

ELF Renault Clio Cup front-runner Jonathan Ridley-Holloway continued his excellent progression at Croft Circuit in North Yorkshire today, Wednesday, 23rd April, by posting the seventh fastest time overall during official championship testing.

Having travelled the lengthy 360 mile journey from his home in Barnstaple, North Devon, the 23-year-old category rookie immediately impressed during the first of the 45 minute sessions this morning. Completing just four laps in total in wet conditions, Jonathan posted the third fastest time of 1m 46.739 seconds (71.66mph).

In session two he maintained his front-running pace as the track dried slightly, lapping the 2.12-mile circuit in 1m 41.775 seconds (75.16mph). Ending the run in sixth place, he was less than a 10th of a second shy of multiple Clio Cup Champion Paul Rivett.

Conditions improved more during the afternoon so times were significantly quicker during session three, Jonathan lapping in 1m 34.081 seconds (81.31mph). His fastest time of the day though came during the fourth and final test run where he produced a highly impressive lap of 1m 33.266 seconds (82.02mph).

Good enough for fifth fastest in the session, just over a 10th of a second shy of vastly experienced Total Control Racing team-mate Nick Adcock in third place, Jonathan’s time also placed him seventh overall on combined times, one place ahead of Rivett.

“Today has been great, third fastest in the wet, in the top six in the second session and then fifth quickest during the final run. It’s been a pretty good test all told, I really enjoyed myself”, commented Jonathan.

“In many ways it was a perfect test day in terms of the conditions. With two wet sessions and two dry sessions, the mix was good for me to learn more about the car. I did have one excursion at Tower Bend when the brakes locked up but it was no big drama. All in all I’m really pleased with how the test has gone, we’ve shown some good pace today.”

Ridley-Holloway looking forward to Donington challenge
Next on the racing calendar for Jonathan is the third event of the 2008 ELF Renault Clio Cup season, rounds five and six, taking place at Donington Park National Circuit 10 days from now on 3rd/4th May.

Although he actually made his competitive Clio Cup debut at the Leicestershire venue last November in the 2007 Winter Championship, the TCR ace hasn’t tested at the track since so his first run at Donington in almost six months will come during the pre-event test next Thursday, 1st May.

“I reckon we’ll be alright at Donington”, added Jonathan, “I’m really looking forward to it and I’m aiming to push for the top six. It’ll be interesting and I’m quietly confident we’ll have a couple of good races. Qualifying will be very important, as always, but as long as we can be on the first three or four rows I think we stand a good chance.”

ELF Renault Clio Cup qualifying ahead of the fifth and sixth rounds of the season will take place at 11.40 on Saturday, 3rd May, with the first of the weekend’s races following at 17.15. Race two is scheduled for 14.30 on Sunday, 4th May, and is expected to be screened live on Freeview, cable and digital satellite channel ITV4.

ELF Renault Clio Cup Maiden Top 10 Of Season At Rockingham

Total Control Racing’s Jonathan Ridley-Holloway secured his first top 10 finish of the ELF Renault Clio Cup season at Rockingham yesterday, Sunday, 13th April, and instantly promised further improvements as he gets more and more comfortable within the ranks of the UK’s most competitive, one-make, saloon car championship.

Qualifying on Saturday, 12th April, saw the 23-year-old produce his most impressive performance at the wheel of a Clio since graduating to the category during the 2007 ELF Renault Clio Winter Cup, a best time of 1m 31.723 seconds (76.14mph) placing him seventh on the grid for the first of the weekend’s two races.

Come the start of round three though on Sunday morning, the Barnstaple racer found himself starting one place further ahead on row three after team-mate Alex MacDowall was served with a penalty for a technical infringement.

At the beginning of the race, Jonathan got away well in his PicoPC.co.uk, A4 Apparel and Bond Oxborough Phillips backed car and although squeezed out at Deene Hairpin as he aimed to stay out of trouble, he slipped a few spots to ninth place.

Thankfully unscathed, he climbed to eighth through Pif-Paf and into lap two looked well placed to make further progress as the race unfolded. The Safety Car then came out onto track at the start of the third tour for a couple of laps.

With the field bunched up, the re-start came on lap five and a great battle ensued between sixth-placed Rob Boston, Lee Pattison in seventh and Jonathan close behind in eighth position.

The TCR ace certainly looked to have the speed to challenge those ahead, his best lap of the race just eight 10ths of a second shy of eventual race winner Ben Winrow’s pace, but he wasn’t quite able to make the breakthrough he wanted.

On lap 14, light rain started to fall to throw another variable into the mix and as the pack ahead of Jonathan started to shuffle, the North Devon racer could see the potential for some opportunities to fall his way. Side-by-side with seventh placed Pattison on lap 15 out of Deene Hairpin, Jonathan frustratingly had to tuck back in at Yentwood.

Having held a solid top eight for almost the entire race, he unfortunately lost out to Aron Smith at the very last turn, Brook Chicane, on lap 16 and so was forced to settle for ninth. Nonetheless, it was a good result and a welcome haul of championship points.

“The main thing for me was to finish inside the top 10 and come away from the race without any damage”, commented Jonathan, “I wanted to get a decent start, stay out of trouble at the first hairpin and then challenge where possible. I had a few good attempts at moving up the order but I’m not too unhappy with ninth.”

Jonathan’s second fastest qualifying lap, determining his grid slot for the fourth round, was some way short of what he had hoped for but this was purely down to the weather.

With a number of quick drivers only able to squeeze one true flying lap in before the skies opened above the 1.94-mile track, the starting order for the second of the weekend’s events proved to be unpredictable.

Lining up with the 17th best time, which became 16th on the grid due to McDowall’s aforementioned penalty, Jonathan got away fairly cleanly but a major collision mere yards behind him at Turn One resulted in the Safety Car being deployed for five laps.

Desperately lucky to avoid being caught up in the four-car incident, Jonathan entered lap two in 17th place and that’s where he would remain for the duration despite his best efforts to make up places. 

Reflecting on the second race, Jonathan said: “Rockingham is pretty difficult to overtake on, there’s no doubt about that. I’m so thankful I wasn’t involved in the Turn One accident. At one point, I thought I was going to be collected as I could see what was happening in my mirrors. It all unfolded about a metre behind me.

“Luckily we avoided that and brought the car home in one piece. At Donington for the next two rounds we’ll definitely be up there, I’m sure I can run with the top guys – I’ve no doubts about that at all. I just need to be more consistent in qualifying and get higher up the grid. It’s not been a bad weekend though, I’ve been pretty happy with my pace.”

The 2008 ELF Renault Clio Cup resumes on 3rd/4th May at Donington Park National Circuit in Leicestershire for the fifth and sixth rounds of the season.

ELF Renault Clio Cup Rockingham Preview

Barnstaple’s Jonathan Ridley-Holloway is fully focused on putting the disappointment of the first race meeting of the 2008 ELF Renault Clio Cup fully behind him at Rockingham in Northamptonshire this weekend, 12th/13th April, by securing a brace of deserved top six finishes during the third and fourth rounds of the campaign.

The 23-year-old North Devon racer, the innocent party in an opening lap collision during the first race of the season at Brands Hatch last weekend, intends to wipe the slate clean at Rockingham and produce the true form he is undoubtedly capable of.

Although his A4 Apparel, Bond Oxborough Phillips and PicoPC.co.uk backed car suffered serious damage following the round one accident, Jonathan’s Total Control Racing team has worked incredibly hard during the past week to repair the Clio.

With the finishing touches complete, he’s actually back at the wheel of the car at his most local venue, Thruxton in Hampshire, today, Monday, 7th April for an official ELF Renault Clio Cup test. Jonathan will then travel to Rockingham for official practice on Friday, 11th April, ahead of rounds three and four of the season at the weekend.

Phlegmatic about the disappointment of the season-opener, Jonathan is chomping at the bit to get back to the form he showed during winter testing when he was regularly one of the front-running drivers.

“I only tested at Rockingham once during the pre-season but it didn’t seem too difficult to get to grips with”, commented the TCR ace, “I’m not underestimating how tough it will be to qualify well and fight near the front in the races though. That said, I am confident we can be strong and we’ll be able to leave Rockingham with a good haul of points.

“It’ll be an interesting first lap that’s for sure, so many cars running through Turn One of the Oval and then having to filter through the hairpin into the infield. Hopefully we’ll be able to qualify strongly and stay out of trouble. I’m confident we can challenge for the top six but as long as we can avoid the problems we had at Brands Hatch I’ll be happy.”

Jonathan added: “We did have a few niggles with the car at Brands so hopefully we’ll be able to get those ironed out today at Thruxton and then head up to Rockingham with increased confidence.”

Qualifying for rounds three and four is provisionally expected to take place at 14.45 on Saturday, 12th April. The races will then take place on Sunday, 13th April, at 10.35 and 15.15 respectively. The second of the weekend’s encounters is likely to be broadcast live on Freeview, cable and digital satellite channel ITV4 – check listings for further details.

ELF Renault Clio Cup Brands Disappointment For Luckless Ridley-Holloway

Total Control Racing’s Jonathan Ridley-Holloway saw his full season ELF Renault Clio Cup debut last no more than half a mile during round one on Saturday, 29th March; contact three corners into the race leading to an unfortunate retirement.

Although disappointed to qualify 14th on the grid having not quite managed to get the best out of his tyres during the session, the 23-year-old still fancied his chances of a strong result inside the top eight, certainly a probable outcome looking at his pre-season testing pace.

Having seen Chris Rice’s Clio expire directly ahead of him on the formation lap, Jonathan would actually start round one from 13th place and after a good initial getaway he was then hit from the rear on the approach to Graham Hill Bend.

Recovering the enforced slide well, the luckless Barnstaple racer was unable to avoid a spinner ahead of him on Cooper Straight and his car suffered serious damage to the front end, eliminating him on the spot.

With the TCR mechanics doing a superb job to repair the Bond Oxborough Phillips, PicoPC.co.uk and A4 Apparel backed car in readiness for round two on Sunday, 30th March, Jonathan hoped for a clean race and at the very least a handful of points.

After a decent start, the North Devon ace was soon the victim of some close attention once more, contact damaging his suspension and making any hope of a points finish difficult at best. Battling on, Jonathan was able to continue as several rivals fell by the wayside and he moved into 17th position.

With his car becoming more of a handful as the laps counted down, red flags on lap 19, due to an accident involving Gavin Pyper, brought an early end to the race. Although relatively unhappy with the weekend as a whole, Jonathan refuses to be down-cast and is instead looking forward to wiping the slate clean at Rockingham a fortnight from now.

“It’s not been the weekend we had planned or hoped for but sometimes these things happen and you have to deal with it”, said the former endurance racer, “You need to qualify well at Brands, it’s so important. If I had started in the top six or so as our genuine pace should have allowed, it would have been a much different story.

“Starting so far down the order, you always have the risk of an accident and when I was hit on the first lap of Saturday’s race there was nothing I could do. In race two on Sunday I was tapped again at the start which bent the front suspension and that was the end of it really, the alignment was ruined and then the drive-shaft had a problem.”

Jonathan added: “It certainly hasn’t been the start to the season I wanted or expected but we’ll bounce back strong for the next two rounds and hopefully that will be the true start to our season. I’m confident the top six is achievable there.”

Rounds three and four of the season will take place on 12th/13th April at Rockingham International Super Sports Car Circuit in Northamptonshire. Before then, Jonathan will take part in an official ELF Renault Clio Cup test at Thruxton Circuit in Hampshire – his most local motor racing venue – a week today, Monday, 7th April.

ELF Renault Clio Cup 2008 Sponsor Line-Up Revealed

ELF Renault Clio Cup racer Jonathan Ridley-Holloway is delighted to confirm a series of brand new sponsorship deals ahead of his maiden full season in the British Touring Car Championship supporting category, the 23-year-old revealing his new backers during last week’s official test session at Silverstone in Northamptonshire.

Having undertaken a solid pre-season test programme in recent weeks, including visits to Oulton Park in Cheshire, Rockingham in Northamptonshire and Brands Hatch in Kent, the Barnstaple racer joined fellow competitors at Silverstone last Thursday, 20th March, where he ran for the first time with his 2008 livery on his bright orange Clio.

Driving for multiple champion entrant Total Control Racing, Jonathan will receive backing this year from Bond Oxborough Phillips, PicoPC.co.uk and A4 Apparel, for his first ever summer season of sprint racing in the all-action ELF Renault Clio Cup.

At Silverstone on Thursday, track conditions altered throughout due to occasional rain but in the wet during the final session Jonathan emerged as the fastest driver until he was pipped right at the end as conditions dried sufficiently for full slick tyres.

Having been 13th quickest during the first of the morning tests with a lap of 1m 06.780 seconds (88.35mph), the North Devon ace moved into 11th place in session three with a time of 1m 12.079 seconds (81.85mph).

The last of the day’s four periods saw Jonathan take to the track with a mixture of wet weather and slick tyres on his Clio and it certainly appeared to be the right choice, leading the way with a best lap of 1m 09.163 seconds (85.31mph). As drivers on full slicks started to benefit from the drying track at the end though, he slipped to fifth place.

“We were consistently the quickest in wet conditions so I’m very pleased about that”, said Jonathan following the Silverstone test, “We ran slicks on the front and wet tyres on the rear in the final session and we held the top spot for quite a while. We were done over by the guys on full slicks though towards the end which was a shame.

“I just need to find a bit more time in the dry conditions and then I feel we’ll be able to consistently challenge in the top six in any weather. My car control in the Clio is getting better and I’m feeling much more comfortable.”

There are now less than two weeks to wait until the first two rounds of the 2008 ELF Renault Clio Cup at Brands Hatch Indy Circuit in Kent on 29th/30th March.

Pre-event practice takes place on Friday, 28th March, qualifying and round one will follow on Saturday, 29th March, and round two – which may be screened live on ITV4 as part of the British Touring Car Championship television package – is timetabled to take place on Sunday, 30th March.

Looking ahead to the Brands Hatch race weekend, Jonathan added: “I’d like to see ourselves battling for the top six but I’m confident the top 10 is definitely do-able. I think there will be a big fight over the top six and if I can be involved in that I’ll be very happy.”

ELF Renault Clio Cup Ridley-Holloway Happy With Pre Season Progress

Barnstaple based ELF Renault Clio Cup racer Jonathan Ridley-Holloway is looking forward to the start of official pre-season testing just over a month from now after impressing during two separate outings with the Total Control Racing team this week. 

Running at Oulton Park Island Circuit in Cheshire yesterday (Friday) following on from an outing at Brands Hatch Indy Circuit in Kent on Wednesday, the 23-year-old produced excellent speed and consistency during both tests to give himself a timely confidence boost as winter preparations for the 2008 championship gather pace. 

Embarking on his first full season of sprint racing this year in the Clio Cup, having spent the past three years in the endurance based Britcar and Production S1 categories, Jonathan is aiming to become a competitive front-runner as quickly as possible.

Based on his lap times from this week’s tests, the North Devon ace certainly looks on course.  

“This week’s tests both went well and I’m feeling more and more confident every time I’m in the car now”, said Jonathan, “We ran at Snetterton the other week but had a problem with the rear suspension which was a bit of a nightmare. The TCR guys got things sorted out though and when we arrived at Brands on Wednesday everything went well. 

“There were some very experienced Clio racers out there and other than Jonathan Adam (2005 ELF Renault Clio Cup Champion and 2007 SEAT Cupra Champion), who was there to help the team out and offer some feedback, my times compared favourably and I’m really pleased about that.

 “I got down to some very respectable lap times at Brands and felt comfortable, with a bit more commitment through Paddock Hill Bend I’m confident we’ll be in pretty good shape for the first two rounds of the season.” 

The picturesque Oulton Park Island Circuit is, of course, a much different prospect to the Indy Circuit at Brands Hatch but Jonathan, accompanied by his 2008 team-mates Alex MacDowall and Mike Robinson, once again went well and looks in good shape for the new Clio Cup championship.

 “Things are moving in the right direction without any doubt at all and I’m looking forward more and more to my first full season in Clios”, he added, “We had Johnny Adam out with us again at Oulton and so that was a huge help. We’re all working really well together and I’m quite happy with my pace and progress.” 

Jonathan’s next pre-season test outing will come at Rockingham Motor Speedway in Northamptonshire on Thursday, 21st February.

ELF Renault Clio Cup Ridley-Holloway To Make 2008 Challenge With TCR

Class winner of the Britcar 24 Hours Race, Jonathan Ridley-Holloway, has agreed terms with multiple title-winning ELF Renault Clio Cup squad Total Control Racing to contest the upcoming 2008 season.
 
The 23-year-old, who resides in Barnstaple, North Devon and has a Masters Degree in Motorsport Engineering, made his Clio Cup debut with TCR during last November’s four round Winter Championship, finishing sixth overall in the driver standings.
 
Jonathan has only been racing since 2005 when, on his 21st birthday, he made his debut in the Production S1 endurance series at Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit. Finishing second in class at the wheel of a Honda Civic Type R, his maiden class victory quickly followed two months later at Oulton Park International Circuit.
 
Remaining in Production S1 in 2006, Jonathan finished every race on the class podium while last year he contested selected rounds of the series before making his Clio Cup bow during the 2007 ELF Renault Clio Winter Cup, having purchased one of the new generation Clio Cup race cars at the beginning of the year.
 
For the last three years, the Suffolk-born racer has also been a regular in the annual Britcar 24 Hours Race at Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit. Third in class on his 24 Hours debut in 2005, Jonathan achieved class victory and finished a superb seventh overall in 2006 while last year he was eighth overall and took class honours once again.
 
With TCR having won three of the last five ELF Renault Clio Cup driver titles, Jonathan firmly believes he is with the best and most successful team in the championship for his full season debut and is looking forward to the new campaign which is now just 11 weeks away.
 
Speaking on his new deal, Jonathan commented: “I’m going to take it as it comes really, learn as much as I can and see what happens during the season. The Winter Cup was a shocker really, I wasn’t happy with how I performed but I know with a good testing programme in place we should be stronger for the new season.
 
“Saying that though, I think it was much better to do the Winter Cup rather than going straight into the 2008 season green. We’ll be out testing in mid-February and hopefully have a good build-up. I’m really looking forward to the championship and I know with TCR I’m with the right guys and they’ll help bring the very best out of me.”
 
As ever, the 2008 ELF Renault Clio Cup will race on the HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship package at the UK’s most prestigious venues. The 20-round season will begin at Brands Hatch Indy Circuit, Kent, on 29th/30th March with Clio Cup also visiting venues such as Rockingham, Oulton Park, Donington Park and Thruxton.
 
The most high-profile race meeting, however, will be the stand-alone World Series by Renault event at Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit on 7th/8th June. Previously held at Donington Park Grand Prix Circuit, the British round of the World Series by Renault attracted an unbelievable 135,000 spectators last year.

First Test Silverstone

Today was Jonathan and TJH's first experience with the car. Silverstone GP circuit was chosen due to the vast experience gained there over the past two years and two 24hr races.

 Setup work started and by the end of the day everyone was feeling a little more comfortable with the car. However, Jonathan was finding it somewhat difficult to adapt to the Clio and so there is still much work to be done!

Shake Down and running in Snetterton

First drive of the car to run it in on a very wet day at Snett.

The cars out of the box factory setup, lead to some interesting handling characteristics!

Cartune takes delivery of 2007 Clio Cup car

Today Cartune took delivery of the new Clio Cup car. An extensive testing plan will now be started and a careful eye kept on the series results, with the plan of Jonathan entering in 2008.

Civic Sold 

The sale of Cartune's Honda Civic was finalised this week.

The new owner, Paul Collis and his instructor Stuart Zemelis will take the car back to Britcar in 2007 to contest the championship.

TJH and Jonathan will continue to support them throughout the year and wish them every success for the season. 

Autosport International 2007

First look at the new car at the Autosport show. The car was on loan to Track and Race car magazine for their stand.

Civic for Sale £45,000

Our 24hr Class dominating civic is for sale.

Huge Spec with massive spares list.

Please contact Jonathan for any more information.

jonathan@cartuneracing.com

Lucky #77 stuns in 24hr success

The Cartune Racing team has scored a spectacular triumph in the Britcar 24 hours endurance race at Silverstone.

With concentrated skill and superb round-the-clock support from a five man TJH Motorsport pit crew, our drivers powered through the field to win their class with ease, 16 laps ahead of the nearest rival, and in seventh place overall among some of the event’s top performance cars.

From thirtieth place on the grid, Cartune’s Honda Civic prepared by TJH Motorsport finally completed the race to win the class, well ahead of the favourites including Mardi Gras Motorsport, driving a rival high specification Honda Civic, and a manufacturer-backed Mazda team.  Both with many professional drivers having touring car championship and formula one experience. However, the Cartune team lap by lap matched and outperformed their rivals.

“We appreciated that this was going to be a test of endurance and character as well as skill,” said Jonathan. “So we picked drivers who we knew had the right temperament and would look after the car.”  For the race, Jonathan teamed up with his regular driver Simon Mason together with Gethin Jones and Ian Carvell. Good driving and careful planning, reduced the number of pit stops and helped our Honda ease ahead of its rivals. 

Then what could have been disaster occurred when a drive shaft went, in the later stages of the race.  But the TJH pit team put in a truly heroic effort, changing the drive shaft, a wheel bearing, rear brake pads and four tyres, and bleeding the brakes, in just seven minutes to put the Honda back on the track and back in contention.

Victory at Silverstone completes a second successful racing season for Jonathan and Cartune. At Cartune we were hopeful that the team could finish the season with a final flourish in the 24 hours at Silverstone and beat our performance last year in coming third despite haveing to replace a damaged gearbox. But then came what appeared to be a major setback.  Our team was taken up a class by the race organisers, to place the Honda in class two, in a much more competitive field.

“Nothing had changed in car’s specification,” said Jonathan.  “It was simply that there were too many entries in class three and not enough in class two."  Undaunted, the Cartune drivers and TJH staff took on this additional challenge to produce ultimately an even more impressive victory.

On a final note, Jonthan and Cartune Racing have had a lot of support in the community and would particularly like to thank Bond Oxborough Phillips for backing us.

Cartune signs Ian Carvell and Gethin Jones

Cartune Racing has re-signed Ian Carvell from last years 24hr race, he will be joined by Gethin Jones. 

Ian started racing during 1998 in the Stock Hatch Championship. Following this he had great success in the VWCup and made his name dominating races in his MK1 Golf Gti.

Gethin, a rally driver and true Welshman at heart, began rallying in 1992. After winning the 1997 Ford Ka Championship he was signed as a works driver and went on to win the 1998 F2 National rally championship with Ford. Since then Gethin has been rallying in Europe and winning races in the UK Stock Hatch championship.

"We are all greatly looking forward to the 24hr, and relish the competition of the works teams that are participating"  said Jonathan "Our driver line up is strong and we will be putting on a great show." The race is the weekend of the 9th of September.