Aaron Thompson (Romford), Andy Wilmot (Dartford) and Jeff Alden (Cheltenham) will form part of new team Matrix Motorsport’s driver line-up for its debut season in the Renault UK Clio Cup.
Thompson joined the UK Clio Cup grid in 2017 and achieved two top ten results and a best qualifying performance of fourth. Wilmot has previously raced in a variety of categories, including the BTCC. Alden is Team Principal of Matrix with a background in Time Attack competition.
“This year I want to be winning races and to have a chance of finishing in the top three in the championship and, after discussions with Matrix and finding out what their plans are, I’m extremely happy to be running with them this year,” commented 18-year-old Thompson.
Wilmot said: “I’m delighted to be part of this exciting project. The testing we’ve done so far has gone really well, but it’s too early to say exactly where we stand against the rest of the field, as all of our outings have been on wet or cold tracks. I therefore can’t wait to see how things develop between now and the start of the season.”
“We’ve had a very productive start to the year,” explained Alden. “I’m delighted that we are in a position to announce our initial driver line up and I extend a warm welcome to Aaron who joins the Matrix family. It’s great to have such a promising young driver with us.
“We were really pleased with the amount of interest shown in our team at the recent Autosport International Show and consequently we’re in discussions with more drivers, so we anticipate making further announcements before the start of the season.”
The announcement comes just 48 hours after Matrix revealed an association with British Touring Car Championship team Power Maxed Racing and driver Senna Proctor.
The 2018 Renault UK Clio Cup gets under way with its opening two rounds at the famous Brands Hatch circuit in Kent on Sat 7/Sun 8 April. All 18 of its rounds will take place at the British Touring Car Championship’s high-profile events meaning it appears in front of huge trackside crowds (38,500 on average in 2017) and also live on ITV4.
Renault Sport’s UK Motorsport Championship Manager Will Fewkes said: “Matrix have been working very hard behind the scenes since we announced their move to UK Clio Cup last September. It’s great to see all that hard work now paying off. PMR’s involvement further highlights the Clio Cup’s credentials as the place to be for drivers looking to a successful future career in the BTCC.”