Top three face final showdown in Catalunya 12.10.2012: Eurocup Clio has lived up to all expectations this season, serving up a title race that has gone right down to the wire.

Eurocup Clio has lived up to all expectations this season, serving up a title race that has gone right down to the wire.


A mere two points separate the top three of Marc Guillot (Milan Competition), Oscar Nogues (Rangoni Motorsport) and Mike Verschuur (Equipe Verschuur) as they make their way to Barcelona, where the champion will receive €50,000 to help them make the switch to a Renault Sport Technologies series in 2013.


Marc Guillot, Oscar Nogues and Mike Verschuur have a very special weekend ahead of them, as they fight it out for the Eurocup Clio crown on a Barcelona track they all have fond memories of, having all won there in the past.


There is not much championship leader Marc Guillot and second-placed Oscar Nogues do not know about each other. The two have already locked horns at Catalunya this year in the Clio Cup Spain, winning a race apiece on that occasion, though it is the Spaniard who currently leads the standings in his national cup competition.


The duo are also the only drivers to have won twice in this season’s Eurocup Clio, though Oscar Nogues perhaps has a slight edge in terms of experience. A veteran of many a title battle, the reigning Clio Cup Italy and Rangoni Motorsport driver knows what it takes to get over the line first in tight situations.


After a weekend to forget at Paul Ricard, Marc Guillot is aiming to set things straight on his Spanish rival’s home turf, with an improvement in qualifying high on his list of priorities. Right in the frame for the Eurocup Clio, Clio Cup France and Clio Cup Spain crowns, the Dijon driver is bracing himself for a frenetic end to the season, though the destiny of the Clio Cup France title will have been decided by the time he arrives in Barcelona.


The top two in the standings can count on solid support from highly-ranked team-mates, with fourth-placed Rafael Villanueva (Milan Competition) covering Marc Guillot’s back, and Simone di Luca (Rangoni Motorsport), who lies sixth overall, watching out for Oscar Nogues.


Standing alone against them is third-placed Mike Verschuur, the 2009 Eurocup Megane Trophy winner, who has maintained his championship challenge despite winning just one race this season. Far from overawed by the Milan Competition and Rangoni Motorsport outfits, the Dutchman has a liking for the Barcelona track, and will not be lacking in motivation, having announced his intention to return to Eurocup Megane Trophy next year.


Some 40 drivers are expected to line up for what promises to be a heart-stopping finale. Among them will be three women, with Rakel Morera (Milan Competition) making her return to the series, and Margot Laffite (FB Racing) and Marlene Broggi (FB Racing) also taking to the grid.

 
  
- Blanca de Foronda -  photo Renault