Sam Randon has joined the leading SV Racing team as he prepares to step up to the ‘Racecar’ division of the Michelin Clio Cup Series with Protyre in 2014.

The 18-year old from the Derbyshire Dales market town of Ashbourne was highly impressive during his maiden season of car racing in the burgeoning Michelin-backed Clio Cup Series.

A leading light in the series’ ‘Roadcar’ division for road-going Clio Renaultsport 197s throughout last year, he achieved numerous class podiums before capping off a sensational season with a race win at Brands Hatch in September.

Randon went on to show a great turn of speed during his maiden test in a race-spec Clio Cup car with SVR in October, completing approximately 120 laps of the 2.99mile Snetterton ‘300’ circuit near Thetford, Norfolk with guidance from SVR Director, Danny Buxton, and Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) podium finisher, Jack Goff.

The young charger far exceeded all expectations on his first outing in Clio Cup machinery and this raw speed, consistency and maturity proved to be a catalyst for a full 2014 Michelin Clio Cup Series campaign in SVR colours, during which he hopes to mount a consistent challenge for victory.

“To be entering the ‘Racecar’ class of the Michelin Clio Cup is exciting and another step up the ladder,” said Randon. “We wouldn’t be making the move without my sponsors, Airglide International Ltd and Twincentric Integration, but I feel I extracted the most from my maiden season in the ‘Roadcar’ division last year and graduating to a race-spec Clio is naturally the next step.

“I think my performance during the Snetterton test in October backed that up, as it not only demonstrated my potential to Danny (Buxton), but also boosted my own confidence and indicated that I could really challenge for some good results in 2014. Without being over confident, I think I have the ability to mix it up at the sharp end and threaten for race wins on a consistent basis. There’s still some work to do, as I need to get to grips with the amount of speed you can carry through corners on the slick tyres.”

Randon – a Maintenance Apprentice for JCB – brings with him lucrative backing from Twincentric Integration and Airglide International Ltd.

Twincentric Integration – a long-established IT software and services company – sponsored Randon’s early Karting career and, having found the lure of the Michelin Clio Cup Series too much to resist, will rekindle its partnership with the young Ashbourne-based hotshot in 2014.

Airglide International’s drag reduction surface protectant system, Airglide Ultimate, had a profound effect when it was applied to Sam’s car for last year’s season finale, producing a measureable difference through the speedtraps and lifting the 18-year old to the top step of the podium for the first time.

Robert Sandham, Director of Airglide International, said: “Airglide has been proud of the progress made as Sam’s sponsor and is delighted to confirm its increased support for the 2014 season. Recent discussions and the confirmation of Sam as one of SVR’s drivers made Airglide’s commitment easy and I’m looking forward to developing our relationship with the team, to not only secure the partnership for the immediate future, but for the long-term too. Here’s to a successful year for Sam and Airglide International!”

SV Racing Director, Danny Buxton, added: “It’s tremendously exciting to have somebody with Sam’s potential on-board for the 2014 Michelin Clio Cup Series. He adapted remarkably well to the demands of a Clio Cup racer during his test with us in October and left us a bit stunned, in all honesty. He’s a talent for the future and SVR will give him all the tools he needs to flourish in the Clio Cup Series and to provide his sponsors, Twincentric Integration and Airglide, a return on their investments in the form of strong results.”

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