It has been announced that Luke Reade will be making the step up to the Renault UK Clio Cup for the 2017 season with Ciceley Motorsport.

Reade moves to the UK Clio Cup after racing in the MINI Challenge. He will be joined by Sam Osborne, the two are firm friends and have already tested the UK Clio Cup car with Ciceley at Silverstone.

However it is perhaps at Brands Hatch that Reade is better known – his father Alex runs the Alex Reade Motorsport race wear store there!

It means three drivers have now committed to Ciceley with its 2016 title challenger Coates (Scorton) having already re-signed. Ciceley also runs one of the top teams in the British Touring Car Championship alongside which the UK Clio Cup races.

Speaking about the opportunity, Reade,  said: “As soon as I tested the UK Clio Cup car at Silverstone and saw how Ciceley worked I knew it’s where I wanted to be in 2017. I think the UK Clio Cup car will suit my driving style more and I’m looking forward to getting some serious testing done in the New Year and working on the data side with Max.

“There’s also the very high levels of exposure the UK Clio Cup receives because it races at the BTCC’s events and that’s something else I’m looking forward to.”

Team Principal of Ciceley’s UK Clio Cup squad is its BTCC star Adam Morgan. He enthused: “Luke and Sam are both great signings and we are delighted to have them on board. Both have shown great promise in their careers so far and our initial testing with them has gone very well – they will have a great benchmark in Max to work with.

“There is also the likelihood that we will run a fourth and maybe even a fifth car in 2017’s UK Clio Cup – interest is extremely high so watch this space.”

The 2017 Renault UK Clio Cup season gets under way at the world famous Brands Hatch circuit in Kent on Sat 1/Sun 2 April. Racing at the BTCC’s high profile events will again mean huge trackside crowds and live free-to-air television coverage on ITV4 for the UK Clio Cup’s teams, drivers and sponsors.