With the Clio Cup Europe, Clio Cup España and Clio Cup France main titles still up for grabs, not to mention several places of honour in various categories, the tension was palpable in the final qualifying session of the calendar. The top 17 were within a second of each other on the previous day, but Gabriele Torelli struck hard, taking pole by more than half a second from rival David Pouget. Clio Cup España leader Adrian Schimpf was third, ahead of Nicolas Milan (Milan Compétition) and Anthony Jurado (Milan Compétition).

Gabriele Torelli maintained his lead when the lights went out, whilst David Pouget, Adrian Schimpf, Nicolas Milan, Anthony Jurado, Alexandre Finkelstein (GPA Racing) and Pierre Bredeaux (Comte Racing Team) swapped positions several times. However, the action quickly heated up as David Pouget attacked Gabriele Torelli at the end of the opening lap. This duel benefited Nicolas Milan, whilst Adrian Schimpf and Anthony Jurado got in between the two contenders for the European crown.

The battle continued on lap three. After overtaking Gabriele Torelli, Adrian Schimpf surprised Nicolas Milan to take the lead, but that was short-lived as Gabriele Torelli took over the reins the following lap. The Italian then made the most of contact between Anthony Jurado and Adrian Schimpf to build a gap. Nicolas Milan lost several positions after being forced to pass through the gravel to avoid the incident.

After this action-packed start, the running order stabilised as the halfway mark approached. Gabriele Torelli had a three-second advantage over the chase group of Anthony Jurado, David Pouget, Adrian Schimpf and Damiano Puccetti (Rangoni Corse). However, the latter made a mistake on lap eight. After a difficult start, Luca Franca (MC Motortecnica) climbed back into the fight, climbing to third place before a small snap of oversteer dropped him out of the top ten.

A tangle between Gaël Rostant (GPA Racing) and Veenesh Shunker (T2CM) resulted in a safety car period on lap 12. Although Gabriele Torelli lost his eight-second lead, he nonetheless sealed his ninth victory of the year as the field crossed the finish line under yellow. Challenger Adrian Schimpf finished second ahead of David Pouget (GPA Racing), promoted to the podium following Anthony Jurado’s ten-second penalty for overtaking under safety car conditions. Nicolas Milan was fourth ahead of Jordi Palomeras (Milan Competition), Tomas Pekar (Carpek Racing), Pierre Bredeaux, Florian Coruble (GM Sport), Alejandro Schimpf (AST Competition) and Jacopo Giuseppe Cimenes (Essecorse). Rene Steenmetz (AST Competition) finished 12th overall and first in the Racers Cup in an action-packed race throughout the field.

In the final Clio Cup Series general classification, David Pouget wins the Clio Cup Series ahead of Nicolas Milan and Gabriele Torelli, while Milan Compétition takes the team crown.

CLIO CUP EUROPE

David Pouget drove a cautious race in a fast-moving field to seal his first European title, finishing third behind rival Gabriele Torelli and Adrian Schimpf, who had already secured the Challengers Cup title and rounded off his campaign in style with another category win over Pierre Bredeaux and Alejandro Schimpf. Meanwhile, Rene Steenmetz inherited victory ahead of Lionel Viguier (T2CM) and Benjamin Cauvas (GPA Racing) in the Racers Cup after Luca Franca was penalised for failing to respect the track limits. The Dutchman thus snatched the crown in this class from the Italian, who had been the leader since the start of the season. Lastly, Milan Compétition claimed the teams classification.

CLIO CUP ESPAÑA

Adrian Schimpf led from start to finish to secure his Clio Cup España title in style, winning ahead of Jordi Palomeras and Alejandro Schimpf. Already crowned in Europe’s Challengers Cup, the Spaniard doubled his success in the same category in Clio Cup España. Jérémy Bordagaray (Milan Compétition) scored another victory in the Racers Cup over Jean-Louis Carponcin (Teamalcar) and Alejandro Romero (Team VRT) to celebrate his class title. The Frenchman thus deprived AST Competition of a grand slam, as the Spanish structure also won the team crown.

CLIO CUP FRANCE

David Pouget claimed a third title, beating arch-rival Nicolas Milan to claim his third title of the season and maiden one in Clio Cup France. Florian Coruble finished third and first in the Challengers Cup ahead of David Pajot (Vic’Team), Calvin Comte (Comte Racing Team) and Florian Venturi (GM Sport), who clinched the class crown as Alexandre Finkelstein retired with a technical issue. Meanwhile, Lionel Viguier bested Fabien Julia (LR Performance) to secure second place in the Racers Cup behind Jérémy Bordagaray, who sealed the title at Le Castellet. Lastly, GPA Racing took the Clio Cup France team title.

Following this exceptional season, which saw 104 competitors compete in 13 meetings across Europe, the Clio Cup Series will return in 2024 in a calendar to be unveiled soon.

Clio Cup Series – 2023 Honours
Clio Cup Series
Général
1. David Pouget (FRA, GPA Racing), 2. Nicolas Milan (FRA, Milan Compétition), 3. Gabriele Torelli (ITA, Rangoni Corse)
Teams : Milan Compétition (FRA)
Clio Cup Europe
Général
1. David Pouget (FRA, GPA Racing), 2. Gabriele Torelli (ITA, Rangoni Corse), 3. Anthony Jurado (FRA, Milan Compétition)
Challengers Cup
1. Adrian Schimpf (ESP, AST Competition), 2. Alejandro Schimpf (ESP, AST Competition), 3. Jacopo Giuseppe Cimenes (ITA, Essecorse)
Racers Cup
1. Rene Steenmetz (NED, Chefo Sport & AST Competition), 2. Stephan Polderman (NED, Chefo Sport & AST Competition), 3. Luca Franca (ITA, MC Motortecnica)
Teams : Milan Compétition (FRA)
Clio Cup España
Général
1. Adrian Schimpf (ESP, AST Competition), 2. Alejandro Schimpf (ESP, AST Competition), 3. Jérémy Bordagaray (FRA, Milan Compétition)
Challengers Cup
1. Adrian Schimpf (ESP, AST Competition), 2. Alejandro Schimpf (ESP, AST Competition), 3. Jordi Palomeras (ESP, Milan Compétition)
Racers Cup
1. Jérémy Bordagaray (FRA, Milan Compétition), 2. Alejandro Romero (ESP, Team VRT), 3. Joaquin Rodrigo (ESP, Team VRT)
Teams : AST Competition (ESP)
Clio Cup France
Général
1. David Pouget (FRA, GPA Racing), 2. Nicolas Milan (FRA, Milan Compétition), 3. Alexandre Albouy (FRA, GPA Racing)
Challengers Cup
1. Florian Venturi (FRA, GM Sport), 2. Alexandre Finkelstein (FRA, GPA Racing), 3. Aurélien Renet (FRA, JSB Compétition)
Racers Cup
1. Jérémy Bordagaray (FRA, Milan Compétition), 2. Lionel Viguier (FRA, T2CM), 3. Fabien Julia (FRA, LR Performance)
Teams : GPA Racing (FRA)
Clio Cup Italia
Général
1. Luca Franca (ITA, MC Motortecnica), 2. Mattia Lancellotti (ITA, Faro Racing), 3. Giacomo Trebbi (ITA, MC Motortecnica)
Challengers Cup
1. Mattia Lancellotti (ITA, Faro Racing), 2. Giacomo Trebbi (ITA, MC Motortecnica), 3. Jacopo Giuseppe Cimenes (ITA, Essecorse)
Racers Cup
1. Luca Franca (ITA, MC Motortecnica), 2. Sandro Cutini (ITA, Faro Racing), 3. Alex Lancellotti (ITA, Faro Racing)
Teams : MC Motortecnica (ITA)
Clio Cup Mid-Europe
Général
1. Gabriele Torelli (ITA, Rangoni Corse), 2. Anthony Jurado (FRA, Milan Compétition), 3. Tomas Pekar (CZE, Carpek Service)
Challengers Cup
1. Nikola Miljkovic (SRB, Tempo Racing Team), 2. Guillaume Maio (FRA, GM Sport), 3. Damiano Puccetti (ITA, Rangoni Corse)
Racers Cup
1. Rene Steenmetz (NED, Chefo Sport & AST Competition), 2. Stephan Polderman (NED, Chefo Sport & AST Competition), 3. Sébastien Gehin (FRA, T2CM)
Teams : Rangoni Corse (ITA)

Results - Clio Cup Series - Clio Cup Europe - Clio Cup España - Clio Cup France