The new Clio Cup season kicks off this Easter weekend at the Oschersleben circuit in Germany. A number of young and talented drivers will be on the grid. It is difficult to predict who among them will deliver a championship-winning drive.
The fourth and fifth generation Clio’s will meet again on the track. This year, however, the newer Clio V will have a numerical advantage, with which Twingo Cup champion Nik Štefančič, Miha Primožič, David Malinovski, Henrik Seibel, Adam Konopka, Dejan Robida, Ondrej Fekete and also Clio Cup champion Tomáš Pekař are planning to race.
Although the Czech racer Pekař is the favourite to win every race, he has a number of motivated young racers behind him. Štefančič has won the Twingo Cup in the last two years, something no driver has managed to do before, and is looking towards a new challenge in his career. David Malinovski is also moving from the Twingo Cup to the Clio Cup. On the other hand, Miha Primožič, who almost regularly finishes in the top 3, has plenty of experience with Clio. Henrik Seibel could also have a say in the top results. He made his debut with Clio V last year and has an experienced mentor behind him in the form of teammate Tomáš Pekar.
The Clio´s IV will also have the strong representation. Szabolcs Lantos fought for the title last year with Tobias Poschik and finished second in the championship. He is therefore the favourite for this year’s championship. However, Martin Kadlečík has already shown his undeniable talent in his only Clio Cup start last year and he should also be counted on in the fight for the top positions. Michael Hulm also put in a great performance in his starts at the Red Bull Ring and Slovakia Ring last year, taking the top spot in Austria.
Clio Cup stalwart Thomas Fischer from Austria will also be in the field. Igor Tomljanović will be defending the Croatian colours and the Czech drivers Richard Meixner and Jiří Zbožínek will also be in the field.