Solid result gives Renault Aftersales Racing driver more points
Renault Aftersales Racing scooped a decent haul of championship points from the third round of the ELF Renault Clio Cup yesterday when driver Ed Pead finished ninth in the feature race at Thruxton circuit in Hampshire.

The ultra-fast airfield track played host to a mammoth grid of 38 Clio cup drivers for the 12-lap race and Pead emerged as the top Aftersales Racing performer in a race that was punctuated by numerous incidents and a lengthy safety car period.

The 29-year-old racer started from the fourth row of the grid in his Motrio, Ixell, Ixtar, Rapide Bodycare, RAMB, Renaultp@rts and Renault Trade Partner-branded car but he admitted that when the lights turned to green, he was unable to make any serious inroads on the cars ahead.

"I went to go past one of the guys ahead of me quite early in the race, but after that move failed to come off, I couldn't really make too much more progress," Pead explained. The set-up that I had on the car didn't really 'come on' in the race and although I could catch some of the drivers ahead, actually getting past them proved more difficult."

Pead's ninth-place finish means he has dropped to fifth in the latest ELF Renault Clio Cup standings. But although he was disappointed not to have mounted a stronger challenge at Thruxton, the Northampton-based driver is confident that his luck will turn.

He said: "Every racing driver has a blip at some stage in the season and it's clear that mine has come now. But I'm not too concerned when I can still score points and am making it to the chequered flag at every race."

"Winning at the first Brands Hatch round was a perfect way to start my season but I always knew that the rest of the year would be tougher. The important thing is that I'm just as hungry for the championship as I was at Brands Hatch and I'm going into every round wanting to win. My luck will change soon - I'm sure of that."

RESULTS

1. Stefan Hodgetts (Momo UK) 12 laps @ 20m 37.66s
2. Martin Byford (Z Speed Racing) +0.21s
3. Ben Winrow (Total Control Racing) +2.00s
4. Mark Speller (Full Speed Racing) +2.87s
5. Jim Edwards Jnr (Kangaroo Racing) +3.07s
6. Robert Lawson (JHR Developments) +3.33s
7. Andrew Jordan (Team Eurotech) +3.80s
8. Michael Doyle (Robertshaw Racing) +4.81s
9. Ed Pead (Renault Aftersales Racing) +5.03s
10. Chris Dymond (Robertshaw Racing) +5.23s

Be sure to check out the other photos from this years' meetings in the Photo Gallery.