Development work is underway on the new fifth-generation Clio Cup car

Development work is underway on the new Renault UK Clio Cup car that is set to be introduced in 2020.

The current 220 Trophy Clio has been used in the UK since 2014 and has provided some of the closest title battles in the championship’s history.

No specific details have yet been revealed about the new car but Renault Sport Racing sporting manager Tarik Ait Said says there won’t be a sudden reduction in laptimes with the fifth-generation machine.

“Development is underway but we are not looking for outright performance,” he told MN. “We are going to try and take all the feedback we have from the teams now to try and make the car.

“One reason for the success of the Clio Cup is cost control and we have to make sure the car is affordable for everyone. We see the paddock is growing with bigger teams but at the same time we have to be careful it doesn’t turn into a very expensive category.

“In France we have some drivers who could race in GT3 but they don’t want to go quicker and feel this [Clio Cup] is the right thing for them. Part of our customers are these people.

“One thing we heard from the Clio 3 to the Clio 4 was the Clio 4 [current car] was quite a big step forward with the paddleshift and for a lot of customers it was too complicated for them. We want to make it simple for teams and customers.”

Ait Said also paid tribute to the quality of the racing the current car has produced in the UK.

“I think the Clio Cup races in the UK are probably the craziest [of all the series] and it’s so competitive,” he added.