Saturday 16th May
Phil Glew maintains his 2009 Clio Cup dominance.
Round 5 + 6 Donington Park Circuit
Qualifying
Glew maintained his Clio Cup dominance by stealing pole position for both races from MacDowell in the last five minutes of the qualifying session.
Race 1
By 5pm grey clouds loomed over the Leicestershire circuit and rainfall looked imminent.
The warm up lap provided more action than it should have, as Jeff Smith ended up in the gravel following overzealous weaving while attempting toe get heat in to his tyres. The start was therefore delayed as Smith’s car was removed from the gravel trap allowing the rain clouds to move just a little bit closer.
The red lights finally went out and Glew made a good get away leading MacDowell, Bradley and Herron in to the first corner. He managed to pull out a comfortable lead as the rest of the pack fought bumper to bumper for position. By the time Glew crossed the line to begin his second lap he was confronted by the familiar site of the back of the safety car. Three laps behind the safety car ensued as the damaged Clio’s were removed from the track.
As the race restarted both MacDowell and Herron were stuck to Glew’s bumper and trying to pressure him in to a mistake. Glew held his nerve as he has done throughout the season and drove his own race without paying too much attention to the cars in his mirrors. He had a slight reprieve mid race as MacDowell missed a gear and allowed Herron to pass him for second place. Herron had the pace and closed in on Glew but never looked to be a threat.
With the race entering the final few laps, the rain which had been threatening all race, began to fall testing all drivers to the limit. Glew took full advantage of the first damp lap and as others backed off he carried on pushing and pulled out a 3 second lead. As many cars struggled to keep it on the track Glew drove smoothly feeling his way around as every corner became more and more treacherous.
The last couple of laps were very demanding and Glew secured his fifth win of the season in style over 3 seconds ahead of Herron and Bradley.
Sunday 17th May
Race 2
Tyre choice would prove crucial for the second race of the weekend as a heavy downpour prior to the lunch nbreak left the track drenched. Teams were left with ndifficult tyre choices as the track seemed to be drying fast.
Glew opted to go out on wet tyres but once on the grid he realised the conditions favoured a mixed tyre setup and the team hurriedly changed the front tyres to slicks.
Unfortunately the team were still on the grid when the 2 minute board was shown and the officials issued Glew with a 30 second penalty.
The lights went out and the varied tyre choice became apparent as the grid had mixed get a ways.
MacDowell managed to pass Glew off the line and take the lead but Glew fought back and regained the lead with a brave move around the outside of the first corner.
Glew then managed to pull away and make a break from MacDowell and Smith. Glew held his ground and maintained a good lead until he began to struggle with grip on the drying track. Frustrated with the tyre decision and time penalty Glew focused on damage limitation. He pushed a little too hard and spun at the exit of the old hairpin allowing Smith, MacDowell and Pattison past.
Luckily the leading group had a large lead over the rest of the field and Glew managed to rejoin in 4th place. Regaining his momentum he then began chasing down the lead trio, headed up by Championship rival Smith.
The closing laps saw Glew manage to get back on terms with the leaders setting his fastest laps of the race. He looked threatening on the final lap and attempted to pass Pattison in to the chicane for 3rd place. The lead four crossed the line nose to tail providing a thrilling finish for the crowd and Glew had to settle for 4th.
Glew was then demoted to 10th after his 30 second penalty was applied. Although the penalty was frustrating the outcome could have been far worse if Glew had started on wet tyres and he still maintains a 27 point lead over Championship rivals Smith and MacDowell.
Championship leader Glew commented “It has been a weekend of mixed fortune for us with the weather playing a big part in today’s outcome but I am very happy with Saturdays win and my Championship lead.”
Phil would like to thank sponsors WD-40, 3 in 1 Professional, STMC, DAS andMayContain.com for their support and commitment.
Phil also commented on how well the team coped with a weekend of difficult decisions and thanks them for providing him with an excellent car.
We now look forward to more Clio Cup action at Oulton Park in Cheshire on May 30th & 31st
Copyright 2009 Philip Glew | Internet Design by Artsgraphica