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The ClioCup Italia also started its
2014 season at the Santerno circuit,
for the first round of a series including
six round and twelve races. The
opener at Imolawas full of deep
meanings. The first one comes from
the car: the Clio RS 1.6 Turbo. The
Frenchmanufacturer’s brand-new
weapon started its European career
last season and has now been
introduced by Fast Lane Promotion in
the ClioCup Italia. It relies on an 1.6-
liter turbo engine capable of 220
horsepower at 6.000 rpm, and also on
a paddleshift gearbox. The new
evolutionary stepwas praised both by
the drivers and the teams, as they
pointed out a performance increase
measurable inmore than three
seconds per lap. “It’s a faster car -
explainsMichel Rangoni of Rangoni
Corse - and also amore demanding
one. It requires an experienced drive
also because, compared to the
previousmodel, it allowsmore set-up
tuning solutions. Clearly, the driver’s
feedback becomes evenmore
important in the pursuit of the perfect
set-up. So there aremore possibilities
for the teams and drivers, and they
both have toworkwell together”. The
same feedbackwas shared by the
whole paddock as everybody
expressed high praises. The newly-
arrivedClio brought a breath of fresh
air.
The newClio RS 1.6 Turbo didn’t
disappoint once on-track as it made it
for some spectacular racing action.
The two fabulous runs of Imola
provided plenty of excitement, superb
action and highly-spectacular
performances by the drivers. Race 1
was won by the convincing Simone
Iacone, a quick andwell-known Italian
racer. He brought to victory a small
teamwhichwere alsomaking their
debut in the championship. It’s no
usual thing and Essecorse can be
proud of what they achieved. Iacone
made his potential clear since practice
and qualifying. He grabbed the pole
before cruising towin at the end of a
tight battlewith veteranMassimo
Pedalà, another top-class racer. It’s
been a picture-perfect finale also in
Race 2, when the honors went to
Rangoni Corse’sMichele Puccetti. The
heat featuredmany spectacular moves
and surprises also thanks to the
reverse grid start. In the end, Puccetti
scored his first career win and podium
finish. “Thewin at Imolawas not only
the first one after seven years in the
ClioCup Italia, but alsomy very first
podium finish - said Puccetti, who
wasn’t aware of havingwon because
of a penalty assessed toOscar
Nogues - Everythingworkedwell, and
I was finally able tomakemy way at
the top of the pack. I hope this will be
just the start of a successful season”.
The ClioCup Italia did not disappoint,
delivering a great show. The next
roundwill be on the 25th of May at the
Austrian RedBull Ring track. The
drivers are ready to be back fighting
for wins.
Oscar Nogues
