Clios not the end for Renault

Renault is already assessing different options for future motorsport activity in the UK after it decided to axe the

Clio Cup at the end of this season.

It was confirmed just before Christmas that the popular Clio Cup would not continue beyond 2019. The timing of the series’ closure coincides with the planned introduction of the fifth-generation Clio elsewhere. Only the UK series is ceasing; other Clio Cup championships around the world will continue and a new series is being launched in the Middle East.

Although the decision may suggest a scaling-back of race operations, Renault Sport Racing sporting manager Tarik Ait

Said has revealed that talks about future projects have already begun.

“In the UK the decision has been taken that it would be best not to continue [the Clio Cup] for 2020,” he told Autosport. “It doesn’t mean there won’t be any motorsport activities in the UK forever. But we had to consider how it would be in 2020.

“We’re already working with Renault UK about other things to do. Renault UK has a lot of activity around Formula 1 and there are other activities that may come in 2020 or 2021. We’ve just started looking at different options.”

Ait Said would not be drawn on any of the ideas but recognises the manufacturer’s long history in the UK. The Clio Cup series began in 1991 but Renault’s one-make history dates back to the ’70s with the Renault 5. It also supported the Formula Renault UK series between 1989 and 2011.