Twenty-nine competitors head to Misano for this traditional Clio Cup meeting in Italy. With its long straights and technical corners, the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli often produces thrilling encounters, and this year should be no exception with many of the contenders hoping to impress on home soil and their rivals coming to challenge them in their backyard.

Clio Cup Series leader with two wins and six additional podium results from ten starts, David Pouget (GPA Racing) will aim to extend his lead over his closest rivals. While the French target will target a prestigious success on Italian soil, his ambitions could be tempered by the fierce battle to come in Clio Cup Italia, where the intensity will rise several notches following an extremely competitive start to the season.

The Italian competition has already seen four different drivers win in as many races contested this year : Cristian Ricciarini (Essecorse) and Jerzy Spinkiewicz (Uniq Racing) at Monza and Alessandro Brigatti (Progetto E20 Motorsport) and Luca Franca (MC Motortecnica) at Spa-Francorchamps. Alessandro Brigatti currently leads the general classification, but he is only three points ahead of Cristian Ricciarini, four ahead of Mattia Lancellotti (Faro Racing), five ahead of Giacomo Trebbi (MC Motortecnica) and six ahead of Luca Franca. The battle is so open that a total of 13 drivers are in with a chance of taking the lead this weekend, and it’s hard to make any predictions between winners looking to double up, outsiders looking to get back on track, and other protagonists hoping that their time has come.

With several entries vying for the main title, the Challengers Cup promises to be just as exciting. While Mattia Lancellotti and Alessandro Brigatti have shared the honours so far, the former has a seven-point advantage going into this confrontation at Misano. However, they must watch out for Giacomo Trebbi, Leonardo Arduini (MC Motortecnica) and Francesco Savoia (Progetto E20 Motorsport), who are determined to regain the lead at a crucial moment. Hot on their heels, Jacopo Giuseppe Cimenes (Essecorse) will target a return to a podium that has eluded so far to Gianalberto Coldani (MC Motortecnica), Adam Sascha (Sevenhills Motorsport), Francesco Miotto (Progetto E20 Motorsport), Federico Danova (Essecorse) and Francesco Pagano (Scuderia Costa Ovest). Lastly, Alessio Alcidi (Tuder Motorsport) and Ludovico Longoni (MC Motortecnica) will try to close the gap to the frontrunners.

With an overall victory and three wins from four races in the Racers Cup, Luca Franca hopes to continue to impress at the top of the grid to consolidate his lead in the category. Nevertheless, the Italian will have to keep a close eye on his pursuers. Among the drivers able to dethrone him from the top, Monza Race 2 winner Alessandro Alcidi (Tuder Motorsport) will arrive in Emilia-Romagna with high hopes whilst Sandro Cutini (Faro Racing), Due (Oregon Team) and Daniele Pasquali (Tuder Motorsport) will look to score their maiden win in 2023. Meanwhile, Andrea Chierichetti (MC Motortecnica), Manuel Stefani (Sevenhills Motorsport) and Alex Lancellotti (Faro Racing) will all try to break new ground in their quest for an excellent result ahead of the second half of the season.

Five new competitors complete the field. A relative newcomer to motorsport, Mario Federico Cappella (Sevenhills Motorsport) will make his Clio Cup debut, as will Rocc Romeo, who will share the #61 Essecorse car with Luciano Gioia, fourth best Racer in Italy last year and third in Clio Cup Italia in 2013. More experienced, Rolando Bordacchini (Speed Motor) will also be on the grid, as will Ercole Cipolla (Faro Racing), two years after reaching the Italian’s Challengers Cup top ten.

Round six of the 2023 calendar kicks off on Friday with two collective practice sessions. The two races on Saturday at 4:25 pm and Sunday at 3:30 pm will be streamed live on the Renault Clio Series Facebook page and Renault Clio Series YouTube channel.

TIMETABLE

Friday 14 July
10:30-11:00 : Collective tests 1
16:50-17:20 : Collective tests 2

Saturday 15 July
9:30-9:50 : Qualifying 1
16:25-16:55 : Race 1 (25 minutes + 1 lap) | Facebook | YouTube

Sunday 16 July
9:30-9:50 : Qualifying 2
15:30-16:00 : Race 2 (25 minutes + 1 lap) | Facebook | YouTube

Entry list