Kyle Hornby graduates at Oulton Park
IT was yet another eventful outing for Kyle Hornby in the Renault UK Clio Cup at Oulton Park, but following more improvements the Stockport racer left his ‘home’ track with a Graduate Cup win in the second race of the weekend.
Qualifying in the wet for the first time at the wheel of his PKW Properties sponsored Clio Renault Sport, Hornby, from Hazel Grove, placed his car disappointingly 15th and 17th on the grid for the double-header at the Cheshire track.
As the nineteen car grid set off on the opening lap, Hornby stayed out of the ensuing trouble ahead, benefitting by no less than six places. The Hazel Grove youngster holding off race winner James Dorlin, despite being hampered by damaged suspension, until lap six. Kyle eventually bring his Ryley Wealth Management backed Clio home on lap twelve, in tenth place overall.
A much shortened affair for Race Two, following an incident involving Dorlin and Nathan Harrison, at Oulton’s first corner, Old Hall, meant the red-flags flew so that Marshals and Circuit staff could repair the barriers and clear debris.
After a lengthy delay, they got under way once more, Hornby promoted to eleventh from fifteenth after just one tour. One lap later and with Kyle chasing down Luke Reade, the red-flags flew once more, this time it was Jack McCarthy who had rolled at the fast Druids corner. The result provisionally handed Kyle second in the Graduate Cup, behind Shayne Deegan, and ninth overall.
Later on that evening the Stewards chose to exclude Deegan for his part in the Druids incident, handing Hornby his first Graduate Cup win in the UK Clio Cup.
Hornby cited steady progress as the recipe of his season so far; “Constant improvements, learning as I race, each round is getting better and better. We’re constantly aiming for top-ten, and we got two top-ten finishes. And to top it off we got the Graduates Cup too.
“I’m still learning how the car feels and it’s also my first time in the wet in Qualifying. It’s probably the best weekend for experience in different weather conditions, I’m starting to get used to the warming up of the car and the tyres at the start, and also my starts as I’ve not been great off the line”.
Commenting on some hairy moments in each of the two Races, Slater Gordon backed Kyle explained; “I only just missed Jade [Edwards] at the start down in to Cascades [in Race One] as she shot across the front of me.
“I just managed to miss Dorlin going off at the beginning of Race Two, then McCarthy rolled in front of me.
“Overall, very happy with the weekend, good points, kept it on the track, the learning process has progressed so hope for an even better at the next round”.
The Renault UK Clio Cup continues as they head to Croft in North Yorkshire on the 10/11 June.