BTCC man Smiley moves to Clio Cup

Chris Smiley has switched from the British Touring Car Championship to the Renault UK Clio Cup for the remainder of the 2016 season.

The Northern Irishman, who has finished inside the top 20 in two BTCC races this year, has been let down by funding and his Team Hard Toyota Avensis has also been plagued by unreliability.

He will now swap to race a Jam-sport-prepared Clio for the remaining eight races of the year.

“It is a shame, because this was always meant to be the start of a long-term plan in the BTCC, but it has not been a happy few months,” explained the 24-yearold from Carrickfergus. “Everything has been a struggle and we simply have not been able to perform to the level I expected.

“I wanted to keep on racing, and doing it in the Renault Clio Cup is perfect because it keeps me on the radar of the touring car teams by being on the support package. I want to show that I am still capable of winning races.”