Sam Randon began preparations for his 2014 Michelin Clio Cup Series campaign in earnest, testing a third-generation Renault Clio Cup racer with the leading SV Racing (SVR) team at Brands Hatch on Thursday (27 February). 

The 18-year old from the Derbyshire market town, Ashbourne, will graduate from the ‘Roadcar’ to the ‘Racecar’ division following an impressive debut season last year in which he achieved numerous podium finishes before charging to a race victory at Brands Hatch in September.

Working alongside British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) podium finisher, Jack Goff, Randon was able to fine-tune his driving style in both wet and dry conditions over 150 laps of Brand Hatch’s 1.22mile Indy circuit.

“We picked up from where we left off at the end of last year and I was really quite close to the pace, even though I hadn’t been in the car for four or five months,” said Randon. “I was the only one to be driving the third generation Clio Cup car at Brands Hatch and was less than a second off the pace of those in the new spec cars with tyres that had completed more than 200 laps. We progressed throughout the day in terms of pace and then made a few setup tweaks to give me a feel for how these alterations change the car’s behaviour.

“I also worked alongside Jack (Goff) on honing my driving style, particularly bleeding off the brakes and throttle techniques, and learning the ideal racing line. We even got a bit of wet running. It was my first time on wet tyres and it was nice to get a feel for the car in changeable conditions. I anticipate putting on a brand new set of slick tyres to give me experience of scrubbing them in so I’m able to get the most out of them straight out of the blocks in qualifying. I feel so ready and I can’t wait for the season to begin. I’ll continue pushing both on and off the track, but I’m not underestimating the challenge with such a strong 2014 Michelin Clio Cup Series entry.”

Despite not having been in the car for several months, Randon was able to close to within less than a second of those in the latest spec Clio Cup racers, a feat that impressed SVR Director, Danny Buxton – himself a former Clio Cup champion and BTCC racer.

“Sam hadn’t been in the car since the end of last season and he got down to some really reasonable times with Jack (Goff) coaching him,” said Buxton. “His final run of the day by himself was highly impressive as he set some very good times compared to last year’s Clio Cup Series pole time on very old tyres. However, while it’s important to look at last year’s times, I want to compare Sam to those who are migrating from the Renault UK Clio Cup, as they will be the real frontrunners. The Clio Cup Series is attracting a lot of talented drivers who would be at the front in the headlining UK Clio Cup but haven’t got the budget to compete in that championship.

 “The signs are all very promising with Sam and he did everything I asked of him in a methodical way. He must have done 150 laps on the day and, while Jack and I identified a couple of corners he needs to work on, we are both really impressed. It’s important that we use these test days to hone both driver and car in preparation for a strong start to the season. There’s no doubt in my mind that Sam is one of motorsport’s rising stars with some serious natural ability and we’ll see some huge performance from him as the season progresses.”

For more information on SV Racing, please visit the new www.svracing.co.uk website, 'like' the team's Facebook page or follow @SV_Racing on Twitter.