Peterborough’s Ed Pead got his challenge for the 2004 ELF/BTE Lawline Renault Clio Cup off to a superb start with a win and a second place in rounds one and two at Thruxton in Hampshire on Easter Sunday.

Pead, 26, who is back for another attempt at the championship after narrowly missing out on winning the Clio Cup last year, started both races from third on the grid and was confident of good results.
In the first race of the day Pead didn’t get away from the grid as well as he would have liked but he soon made up for it by retaking his third place from Nick Adcock on the first lap and set off in pursuit of second placed Jonathon Adam. Four laps later he was through and chasing down the race leader, former champion Paul Rivett, it didn’t take him long to get the better of his rival. Pead had the lead of the race on the following lap and although he had to work hard to break the tow to Adam in the latter stages of the race he was never in any real danger of losing his lead and set fastest lap with a new lap record on his way to win by almost half a second.

Round two took place later in the day and it was a much more eventful one for Pead. On lap two, Pead lost a place to Steven Hunter but as they approached the chicane at the end of the lap he was looking to go back ahead. A forceful move saw Pead go through in between the cars of Adam and Hunter but there was some contact and both he and Adam lost places. There was a brief period of calm as the Safety Car took to the track for a couple of laps after several cars crashed out but as soon as the race got under way again Pead was on a charge. He moved into 2nd on the ninth lap and immediately set the fastest lap of the race as he began to reel in the leader Rivett but there just wasn’t time to make a serious bid for the lead. Pead did manage to pull alongside as they exited the last corner of the race but eventually had to settle for the runner’s up place with a gap of less than two tenths of a second separating the cars.

Pead commented “I knew I had to get a strong result here and I’m happy to get such a good start to the season. I’m pleased to be leaving here with the lead in the points standings.”

The next round of the series takes place at Brands Hatch in Kent on April 25th.