After an exhilarating 8 rounds of racing, the first-ever Clio Cup Junior Championship has come to an exciting end! Read our roundup of the exciting events!

The Renault UK Clio Cup Junior Championship highlights the serious talent in the UK racing scene at the moment. With various drivers, teams and supportive mentors, the Junior Clio Cup was bound to be a thrilling experience for all involved.

As a precursor to the Clio Cup, the Junior tournament picks out the best talent across the UK, gives them a chance to shine on the track and enrols the winner in the senior Clio Cup, when of age. Teenagers within the 14-17 age group can follow in the footsteps of Ant Whorton-Eales and other champions of the Clio Cup.

Exciting moments in the Championship

Eight rounds of racing were packed into a four-day tournament, making for some seriously tense and thrilling moments on the track. With three tracks, Snetterton, Pembrey and Brands Hatch, the young drivers battled it out, showing their skill and determination.

The most exciting of which was possibly Snetterton. The top four drivers crossed the finish line with a one second difference between each of them. This showed the potential of the talent in the UK, especially from MRM, Team Pyro and JamSport Racing.

Ethan Hammerton had to leave the very first race early due to damage sustained to his car whilst Lorcan Hanafin faced an exclusion but still managed to finish fourth. A few oil slips added some tension to the races, whilst some close shaves between drivers had us watching with bated breath.

However, the astounding ability and poise of these young drivers ensured that everyone on the track was safe whilst making for a truly exhilarating race. Adding further to the suspense, Young received a grid penalty in the first round of the last races only to go on to win the whole Championship!

The winners’ podium – who were the top three?

All of the competitors put their driving skills to the test and each gave it their all. Max Morzorati, Ethan Hammerton and Jack Young took the top three positions.

Max Morzorati – 3rd place (153 points) – Team Pyro

With a sponsorship from Renault Retail, Morzorati held out against some seasoned junior drivers and got the best time in the first race. With the fastest lap time of 2m20.027s, he set the record at Snetterton.

After finishing in first place in the initial race, Max came in at 7th in the second, a discouraging result after such a strong start. Not letting it get to him, he took first place in the third round of the second weekend, boosting his overall points.

Coming in at first place yet again in round 6, Marzorati was just under Jack Young in first place, but he fell to fourth place in the final lap and finished 3rd – taking the bronze.

Marzorati was content with the outcome and said: “I’m so happy – this is a brilliant feeling. I had a poor start and that left me thinking that a podium would be a good result. But there was a lot going on and I just remained consistent and pounced when the opportunity presented itself.”

Ethan Hammerton – 2nd place (159 points) – JamSport Racing

Despite having sustained enough damage to take him out of the first race, Ethan Hammerton was still able to snag him a silver medal, finishing second overall in the Junior Championship!

Hammerton didn’t let the setback in the first race dishearten him in Round 2 and got the fastest time of the day, 2m20.675s. Working hard to get him back onto the track ASAP, JamSport Racing worked effortlessly to ensure that he was ready to get back on the track.

Hammerton said that “after the disappointment of earlier I am really pleased to bounce back and take a win – the team worked really hard in between the two races to fix the damage.”

At Brands Hatch, Hammerton landed in fifth place in the 3rd round, whilst climbing the ladder to fourth in Round 4. Still not happy with his results, Hammerton powered through and came in third position in the subsequent rounds at Pembery.

After a slightly disappointing 7th round, placing fourth, Ethan pushed himself and brought it back, meaning that he finished 2nd place overall.

Jack Young – 1st place (165 points) – MRM

Winning the title of <a href=”https://www.renaultretail.co.uk/about-us/renault-clio-cup-junior-2017/” target=”_blank”>Renault UK Clio Cup Junior Champion 2017</a>, the 16-year old Jack Young showed off his passion for racing.

The first race at Snetterton was a slight disappointment for Jack, finishing fifth in the first race. After duelling with Ethan Hammerton for the top position, Young came in just behind at 2nd. Jack didn’t let it get to him: “We were battling with some understeer and I think my experience in the wet weather showed a little. I’m still happy to come away with a podium though and I think we have shown we’ve got the pace to run at the front going forward.”

Putting his skills to the test, Young battled it out to place the top four positions against his contender Ethan Hammerton. Finishing above him in Rounds 3 and 4, Young come in at 4th and 3rd.

Taking first place in Round 5, Jack Young showed that he’s still in the battle for the gold medal. After dropping to 2nd place in the next race, he gained a two-place grid penalty for the final rounds at Brands Hatch but his confidence didn’t waver: “The two-place drop on race one’s grid isn’t ideal but I don’t think it’ll be the single deciding factor.”

He stuck to his word and showed that the two-place starting penalty would have no effect on his performance, fighting for 2nd place in Round 7 and 3rd in the 8th. His overall consistency allowed him to take first place, winning the Clio Cup Junior Championship and entry to the senior Championships, valued at £18,000.

Young was incredibly excited with his win and happy with his performance: “The feeling is indescribable – I had a bit of a moment there with Max at the start of race two and then went off on some oil and thought it was all over. All I could do was charge as hard as possible and make clean moves on people as soon as I got up to them.”