Further Michelin Clio Cup details given

Organisers of the Michelin Clio Cup Series with Protyre, the newly established saloon car category that is intended to provide a highly cost-effective first step into competitive car racing in the UK, are pleased to reveal the latest technical details and pricing for the road-to-race conversion kit.

Monster Sport Europe, which is based in Milton Keynes, has been named the exclusive supplier of the kit, which will enable owners of Clio Renaultsport 197 or Clio Renaultsport 200 cars to transform their machines to track specification for £3,760.54, plus VAT. With the addition of a Safety Devices prefabricated Roll Cage Protection System (ROPS), available solely through Renaultsport agent Mark Fish Motorsport for £985 plus VAT, drivers can have a race-ready Clio for less than £6,000.

“Our goal is to enable customers to race a road-car based Clio Cup car that will deliver a truly exciting and rewarding competitive experience,” said Michelin Clio Cup Series with Protyre manager Simon North, “It is not simply a road car with a bolt-in roll cage, but a racer developed to be as close to the full racing Clio Cup car as possible.”

The kit from MSE includes Renaultsport Technologies front and rear suspension from the Clio Renaultsport R3 Access asphalt rally car, Renaultsport branded seat and steering wheel, seat rail set, a HANS (Head and Neck Support) device compatible safety harness, electric cut-out switch and CAT-back exhaust.

It also features a Pipercross Air Filter and bespoke adjustable top mount conversion kit, competition clutch plate, Ferodo brake pads, interior items such as roll cage padding and window net, bonnet pins, tow hooks and a fire system with extinguisher.

Built to FIA Appendix J, the Roll Cage Protection System from Michelin Clio Cup Series with Protyre technical partner Safety Devices is a multi-point bolt-in roll cage which provides the necessary level of protection required to go racing. Should competitors require assistance, Mark Fish Motorsport – a participant in Renault racing since the late 1970s – can provide a ROPS fitting service.

In order to keep costs as controlled as possible, drivers competing with converted Clio Renaultsport 197 or Clio Renaultsport 200 road cars will race on Michelin Pilot Sport 3 treaded tyres – supplied by series partner and sponsor Protyre – while those racing in the headline class in thoroughbred racing Clios, as currently run in the sister Renault UK Clio Cup championship, will use Michelin ‘slicks’.

“It’s very important for the Michelin brand to remain closely linked with Renault and by being the official tyre partner for the new Clio Cup Series, we have a perfect opportunity to showcase the high performance of our Pilot Sport 3 road tyre,” said Michelin UK head of marketing Jianni Geras. “The road tyres are less aggressive than racing slicks, so this will only help the cost-effectiveness of the series. In the current climate, a series like this is the perfect place for racing newcomers to learn and develop their skills. Michelin is delighted to be the headline sponsor of, what we fully expect to be, a very popular new category in UK motorsport.”