SHIPLEY'S Luke Pinder is the Michelin Clio Cup Road Series champion after a ten-pence battery terminal almost cost him the title during a dramatic final weekend at the Silverstone International Circuit.
The former rally driver, having suffered the disappointment of retiring due to an electrical problem in round 12 the previous afternoon, wrapped up the championship in style with a dominant victory in the last race of the season.
For Jade Developments driver Pinder, the pacesetter in the series throughout the year, his impressive, faultless performance in round 13 on the Sunday morning was the perfect response to the day before.
Having seen a 45-point championship lead ahead of the finale dramatically slashed, Pinder quickly moved into the lead from second on the grid and was never threatened on his way to a commanding 12-second victory.
He said: “It’s fantastic to take the championship with a win – it’s good in some ways to take it to the wire, but I was getting stressed after race one and it was a bit of a sleepless night on Saturday.
“It was a tough weekend from the start. Qualifying didn’t go to plan as we lost a couple of gears and then we had the electrical problem in race one, which was just a ten-pence battery terminal!
“It’s all come good in the end though. The team did a great job with the car, and we’re really happy to have finally wrapped it up.
"I’d like to do the Race Series next year, that’s the main plan – it’s just about sponsors and budget, though, as always!”
Final standings: 1 Luke Pinder, 331pts, 2 Nic Harrison 291, 3 Tyler Lidsey 282, 4 Jake Honour 269, 5 Sarah Franklin 238, 6 John Creasey 219.
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