Brett Lidsey and Luke Reade have announced that they will contest 2018’s Renault UK Clio Cup.
Lidsey will compete in eight of the season’s nine events but will have to give Oulton Park’s rounds in June a miss as they clash with his marriage to fiancée Graziella.

The 26-year-old becomes the first driver to confirm his place on 2018’s grid. He and the small MRM squad performed strongly in their first three events together in the championship in 2017 and also achieved four race wins in the corresponding Clio Cup Benelux series.

MRM then went on to win the inaugural Renault UK Clio Cup Junior title with 16-year-old Northern Irish driver Jack Young (Belfast).

Lidsey will be sponsored by Liftout Ltd, a company which specialises in the installation of industrial escalators and also heavy plant removal. He commented: “I have a terrific relationship with MRM – they are a team on the up and it’s nice to be with a team that is building for the future.

“I believe anything is possible in terms of results – qualifying is an area I’d like us to work on, but we showed in just three outings in 2017 that in a race situation we were able to make places and get in among the top ten.”

Reade will contest 2018’s Renault UK Clio Cup with fellow Kent-based team WDE Motorsport.

The 23-year-old becomes the second driver to commit to WDE for the forthcoming season after Sam Osborne (Worksop) also confirmed his place in the team. He will again be sponsored by Wera Tools, JD Fire Services, The Green Group and Alex Reade Motorsport.

Like Osborne, Reade switched to WDE for 2017’s final rounds at his home circuit of Brands Hatch which is where 2018’s season will begin on the weekend of Sat 7/Sun 8 April.

As ever all 18 of the UK Clio Cup’s rounds will take place at the British Touring Car Championship’s high profile events, guaranteeing it huge trackside crowds (38,500 people per event on average in 2017) and also live television coverage on ITV4.

Reade achieved three top-ten finishes in his debut UK Clio Cup season in 2017 with a best result of seventh. He commented: “I’m totally realistic about how competitive the UK Clio Cup is – that is one of its big attractions along with the huge crowd numbers and live coverage on ITV4.

“The priority form me is to work with WDE, one of the top teams in the paddock, to improve on my results from last year. I believe we have a strong chance of going for podiums and even pushing for race wins in 2018.”

WDE, based in Ashford, finished second and third in 2017’s UK Clio Cup with drivers Paul Rivett and Lee Pattison.