Thruxton proved to be a slightly more straightforward weekend for Paul Rivett as the three-time Renault UK Clio Cup champion picked up two strong results.
After his Donington Park weekend last time out was marred by a huge accident, Rivett had no such dramas in Hampshire when competing in a reshelled car.
The Tachosys-sponsored driver qualified fourth for the opening race but lost out to Jack McCarthy on the first lap. He got the place back mid-race but was unable to improve on fourth position.
However, race two promised more as the WDE driver started from pole. But a slow start allowed James Dorlin to get the jump.
“I got a little bit of wheelspin at the start and then bogged down as I overcompensated,” Rivett explained.
Dorlin then pulled away, aided by skipping the chicane on the opening lap, but Rivett began hauling him in over the second half of the race. Unfortunately a red flag denied him the chance to make a challenge and an appeal to the stewards over Dorlin’s first lap was unsuccessful.
“When you start from pole you always want to win,” Rivett said. “We were closing hand over fist [on Dorlin] and if there had been a couple more laps I think we could have got him.
“We got some good points, not as many as I would’ve liked, but it was a solid haul.”
The results leave Rivett third in the standings, just eight points behind leader Dorlin, with the next rounds of the Clio Cup taking place at Oulton Park on June 9/10.