The Bill Richards Racing team headed north to Snetterton for the latest rounds of the Dunlop Motorsport News Saloon Car Championship. Qualifying would take place on the Saturday with the two races scheduled for Sunday allowing the teams plenty of time to fettle their cars between qualifying and the race. The Snetterton circuit is noted as being a power circuit and with the Clubman fielding the smallest engine in the field the team were apprehensive as to the cars competitiveness on the circuit.

Qualifying

The overnight rain had cleared by the time the Clubman made its way to the assembly area for the qualifying session and it was therefore running a full dry setup and was fitted with slicks all round. At the allotted start time of the session the heavens opened and the circuit was soon awash, the Clubman elected to put in the required number of laps to qualify for the race and then return to the pitlane for wet tyres. The treacherous circuit conditions saw the Clubman tiptoe around the circuit for several laps before it ducked into the pits.

The weather eased off once more as the Clubman entered the pits and the team elected to fit a split wet/dry combination of tyres in the hope that the circuit would dry rapidly in the second part of the session and the split set up would allow the most competitive time to be set. By the end of the session the Clubman was posting consistent lap times and would see itself lining up in the middle of the pack for the first race.

Race 1

Sunday dawned dry and there was no prospect of rain for the first race at least so the Clubman was sent out for the first race again on a fully dry setup. From the rolling start the Clubman immediately gained ground passing an Integra and a stricken Alfa Romeo. Consolidating its position over the opening lap the Clubman then set its sights on the cars ahead with a turbo charged Golf the first victim. The Golf held a significant power advantage over the diminutive Clubman but the Clubman held the advantage through the slower sections and soon forged ahead and began to pull away.

The Clubmans progress through the field was halted when it came up against an ex-touring car Renault Megane, the French machine fended off the Clubmans attacks and was positioned well on the circuit to prevent the charging Clubman passing. The two cars circulated nose to tail and several times the Clubman was able to draw alongside the yellow machine but each time the Megane steadfastly held the racing line and thwarted the Clubman time and again. The duel continued until the chequered flag fell, the two cars flashed across the line separated by a tenth of a second with the Megane taking the class win from the impressive Clubman.

Race 2

With starting positions decided by the outcome of the first race the battle between the Clubman and the Megane would restart the second the race got underway. As expected the racing was as fierce and clean as it had been in the first race, both the Clubman and the Megane drove impeccably as the two cars continued to be separated by fractionsof a second. The battle was briefly interrupted by a supercharged Peugeot making its way through the field from the back of the grid having failed to finish the first race.

Once the interloper had departed the main players resumed their duel with the Clubman once again trying to find a way through. Persistence finally paid off and the Clubman sliced past the Megane to take the class lead. The Renaults fightback was unfortunately cut short as its engine expired on the following lap. With the class lead secure the Clubman eased off in the closing stages of the race to preserve the car and it took the chequered flag in 8th position overall.

The team can be thoroughly satisfied with the weekends work, the Clubman performed heroics on a circuit that theoretically doesn’t suit the cars strengths taking a class win and a second in class as well as smashing the class record for the circuit. Once again the Clubman punched above its weight and was involved in some of the most intense racing of the weekend with the battles with the Megane being a particular highlight. The team will now begin preparations for the next meeting – at Brands Hatch on the 15th of August.