Jonathan Adam (Kirkcaldy, Scotland) took his second ELF/BTE Lawline Renault Clio Cup victory of the season at Oulton Park Island Circuit this afternoon on a great day for his Total Control Racing team.

After an excellent start, which immediately catapulted Adam into the lead from second on the grid, the 18-year old survived a spirited early-race challenge from Team Griffin Racing’s pole-sitter Matt Allison (Reepham, Norwich) to take the chequered flag after 11 laps.

Allison finished in second place to record his first podium finish of the season, only his second ever in Clio Cup, while TCR’s Nick Adcock (Bromyard, Herefordshire) gave the Wednesbury-based team further reason to celebrate by finishing in third position to take his maiden podium of 2004.

SpeedEquipe’s Ian Curley (Marden, Kent) enjoyed a fantastic start himself, and by the end of lap one he was in fifth position having started back in 10th position on the grid. The next time around he had moved into fourth place and even though he reeled in the battling duo of Allison and Adcock he couldn’t manage to find his way onto the podium.

Ed Pead (Werrington, Peterborough) finished behind Curley in fifth position, having started sixth on the grid, with championship rival Paul Rivett (Banstead, Surrey) sixth for Boulevard Team Racing. Local driver Neil Waterworth (Norden, Rochdale) finished in seventh position for Team Griffin Racing with Team Gatecrasher’s Steven Hunter (Coal Aston, Dronfield) rounding out the top eight.

Commenting on a well deserved victory, Adam said: “It was important to get the good start I did but it was so close for the first few laps and I had to defend my position. I managed to break away a little bit and that allowed me to get the cushion I needed to get the win – I’m very happy and looking forward to tomorrow’s race.”

Allison, meanwhile, was delighted with his first podium of the season: “I didn’t get a bad start but Jonathan got an excellent one so full credit to him. It was close for the first few laps, and at one point I did manage to get alongside him, but then it was hard to catch back up once Jonathan got the gap at the front. My first podium of the year has been a bit long awaited but hopefully I’ll be back on the podium a lot more this year.”

Third-placed Adcock added: “This was a hard-fought race, as ever, but very enjoyable. I had a good dice with Matt (Allison) which was clean, but the problem with fighting over a position like that is everyone behind you starts to catch up. I was concerned we’d get dragged back into the pack and it also allowed Jonathan to break away at the front. But I was happy to settle for a nice, safe, podium finish, spray some champagne and to get interviewed!”

NEAR PERFECT WEEKEND FOR ADAM AFTER OULTON DOUBLE

Total Control Racing’s Jonathan Adam (Kirkcaldy, Fife) took his second win of the weekend - and third of the season - at Oulton Park Island Circuit this afternoon in what proved to be a typically action packed round of the ELF/BTE Lawline Renault Clio Cup.

Adam, who started second on the grid, got a great start to lead Boulevard Team Racing’s pole-sitter Paul Rivett (Banstead, Surrey) as the cars passed through Old Hall Corner for the first time with Team Gatecrasher’s Steven Hunter (Coal Aston, Dronfield) maintaining third position ahead of Mardi Gras Motorsport’s Ed Pead (Werrington, Peterborough).

With Adam and Rivett pulling clear at the front, all eyes were on the battles further down the order with Hunter and Pead engaged in a hard-fought scrap for third place and TCR’s Nick Adcock (Bromyard, Herefordshire), privateer Mark Davies (Mirfield, West Yorkshire) and Team Griffin Racing team-mates Neil Waterworth (Norden, Rochdale) and Matt Allison (Reepham, Norwich) in very close company further behind.

As the first two cars continued to extend their lead over the chasing pack, the rest of the field started to close up with ninth-placed ‘Will Hoy Hard Charger Award’ Winner Daryl McDonald (Danderhall, Midlothian) now tagging on to the cars in front of him.

On lap seven Pead took third from Hunter with a good move at Old Hall Corner, but he ran wide on the exit costing him two places. This promoted Hunter back into third position and Adcock into fourth, however, a lap later the TCR driver went off the circuit and dropped down the order.

While the gap between Adam and Rivett remained a fairly constant half a second, the next half dozen cars continued to swap places but on lap 10 the eighth round of the championship was red flagged following an incident between Allison and Hunter which resulted in a big crash for the Team Gatecrasher driver.

Therefore, the race was counted back a lap with Adam taking the win from Rivett in second place and Pead in third position. Waterworth was classified fourth, McDonald an impressive fifth and Davies in sixth. Allison finished in seventh position and SpeedEquipe’s Richard Williams in eighth place – the result, however, remains provisional.

Commenting on his double-win, Adam said: “I couldn’t have asked for more from this weekend – I started on the front row and had two great wins. TCR has given me a really fast car and I feel very comfortable in the Clio, it really suits my driving style and I’ve adapted to it well. I got a good start but Paul’s a very good, highly experienced driver and it’s a compliment he regards me as championship challenger.”

Rivett added: “I’ve been saying from the word go Jonathan would be a big threat and he’s proven that by winning both races this weekend. We struggled on Saturday, today was better, but Jonathan had the pace to stay at the front. I’m happy to be on the podium as I was really trying out there.”

Ed Pead, who now leads the championship by 37 points from main rival Rivett, said: “It took me a while to get past Steven Hunter and unfortunately it’s been one of those weekends where things didn’t go according to plan. We didn’t have a very good qualifying so I started further back than I wanted to but I’m happy to get a podium for the team.”

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