Just days after a breath-taking return at Hockenheim, the Clio Cup will be back on track this Thursday for round eleven of the 2022 season. Forty cars will compete at the Red Bull Ring (Austria) for another potentially decisive meeting in the titles’ races before the final sprint !

Located in the heart of the Alps and host of the Austrian Grand Prix, the Red Bull Ring is one of the calendar’s more popular circuits with its unique setting and track, which is conducive to spectacular competition. The gaps are always incredibly close, the races are full of twists and turns and the track’s limits are unyielding... All of which will spice up the battles for the category crowns at stake, which are fiercer than ever !

Who will take command in Clio Cup Europe ?

Although Nicolas Milan (Milan Compétition) has found some daylight after his win at Hockenheim, the tension should increase in Austria under the impetus of his closest challengers and teammates Marc Guillot and Anthony Jurado. Jurado was also victorious in Germany and will try to win as he did last year in Austria. David Pouget (GPA Racing) and Jerzy Spinkiewicz (Uniq Racing) will look to pounce on the smallest of missteps of the leaders ahead of the final sprint. Slightly behind, Tomáš Pekar (Carpek Service) and Alessandro Brigatti (Progetto E20 Motorsport) both hope to return to form on the Austrian circuit.

In the Challengers Cup, Jerzy Spinkiewicz will be looking to resume his winning streak snapped last Sunday. The Pole will have to, yet again, contend with Guillaume Maio (GM Sport) and Nikola Miljkovic (Tempo Racing Team), who is keen to follow up his first success in the category at Hockenheim. With his first European podium scored, Juuso Panttila (Carpek Service) wants to keep the momentum going. Meanwhile, Cristian Ricciarini (Essecorse) and Jacopo Giuseppe Cimenes (Essecorse) will try to take the fight to Nico Abella (Chefo Sport), Chen Han Lin (Uniq Racing) and William Mezzetti (Progetto E20 Motorsport), not to mention Mariano Alonso (GPA Racing) and Alessio Alcidi (Tuder Motorsport).

In the Gentlemen Drivers Cup, Stephan Polderman (Chefo Sport) will try to widen the small gap he created in Germany, but the Dutchman has to be ready for a reply from Quinto Stefana (Milan Competition) and René Steenmetz (Chefo Sport). Meanwhile, Horn (GPA Racing) is aiming for a first win while Gabriel Alonso (GPA Racing) is aiming for his maiden podium result.

Jelmini vs Torelli in Clio Cup Italia ?

The Clio Cup Italia will kick off its second half of the season in Austria, where Felice Jelmini (PMA Motorsport) won last year. After winning the first four races of the Italian calendar, the points leader saw Gabriele Torelli (Faro Racing) make up ground with victories in the last two rounds before the summer break. Each will have to try to get a psychological advantage over the other, but neither should overlook Austrian Sandro Soubek (Mair Racing Osttirol,) who is racing on home soil this weekend.

The favourites will also have to be wary of the progress made by the competitors in the Challengers Cup, where Cristian Ricciarini has only a nine-point lead over Cosimo Papi (Scuderia Costa Ovest) and Giacomo Trebbi (MC Motortecnica). The tension will be more palpable as the three drivers have shared all the victories in 2022, a statistic to which Alessio Alcidi, Gianalberto Coldani (MC Motortecnica) and William Mezzetti will try to put an end. Jacopo Giuseppe Cimenes, Damiano Puccetti (PMA Motorsport) and Sandro Cutini (Prorace Team) will also do their best to remain in contention.

Quinto Stefana will try to extend his series of four consecutive victories in the Gentlemen Drivers Cup and take a step towards the title. Daniele Pasquali (Tuder Motorsport) and Due (Oregon Team) will try to prevent him from reaching the top step of the podium for the first time. Vittorio Zadotti (Scuderia Costa Ovest), who won at the beginning of the season, returns intending to take another victory in a category that also includes Pietro Blumetti (PMA Motorsport).

Journalists Giovanni Mancini and Lorenzo Baroni will share the #333 Clio Cup, which is ineligible for points in the Press League. The Italian contingent is completed by Giulio Bensi (Progetto E20 Motorsport), third in Clio Cup Italia in 2020.

A turning point in Clio Cup Eastern Europe ?

With three wins and five runner-up finishes, Marc Guillot continues to extend his lead in the Clio Cup Eastern Europe despite Anthony Jurado’s increase in form. While he now has the opportunity to take a first step towards the crown, the leader would be well advised to win ahead of his teammate if he does not want to be surprised by the lowest score count before the final meeting at Monza in early October. The Frenchmen will also have to beware of Tomáš Pekar and Andreas Stucki (Stucki Motorsport), who are still in contention for the title.

Six-time Challengers Cup race-winner Juuso Panttila will be racing for a top place in the general classification while also pulling away from Chen Han Lin and Henrik Seibel (Carpek Service). Rene Steenmetz and Stephan Polderman will continue their duel in the Gentlemen Drivers Cup, with the Dutchmen currently tied when deleting their worst results of the season.

The field is completed by two drivers ineligible for points, Challenger Julien Baziret (Vic’Team) and Hungarian Gabor Tim (GM Sport), who raced at the Hungaroring and is back thanks to another successful fundraising operation.

The field will come together on Thursday for private testing in Spielberg before the actual start of the weekend on Friday. The two races, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, will be streamed live on the Renault Clio Series Facebook page and Renault Clio Series YouTube channel.

TIMETABLE

Thursday 8 September
3-5 pm : Private test

Friday 9 September
8:30-9 am : Collective test 1
12:49-1:19 pm : Collective test 2

Saturday 10 September
8:30-8:50 am : Qualifying 1
11:55 am-12:30 pm : Race 1 (25 minutes + 1 lap) | Facebook | Youtube

Sunday 11 September
9:51-10:11 am : Qualifying 2
4:30-5:05 pm : Race 2 (25 minutes + 1 lap) | Facebook | Youtube

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