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Motorsport Ireland Young Driver of the Year Jack Byrne overcame misfortune to claim more podiums as the European Clio Cup Series headed into the final stretch of the season at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Supporting the Barcelona 24 Hour Race, this threw up some new challenges such as race one being held in the fading light of Friday night and a very early race two on Saturday morning meaning a tight turnaround for all the drivers. Byrne was confident heading into the weekend as he had undertaken a two-day summer test with his GPA Racing team at the F1 venue and felt confident of being right up towards the sharp end of the massive 51 car grid.
At the end of the first qualifying session, Byrne stuck a lap in to put himself just inside the top 10 and he would line up 9th on the grid for the first race of the weekend. Eager to get some points on the board after the misfortune suffered in Magny Cours, he got stuck right into the battle pack as the lead train grew to almost 15 cars at one stage but the bad luck that has befell the Wexford driver this season struck again, as midway through the race an engine problem developed leaving Byrne with a total loss of power and left him no option but to head for the pitlane and retire from the race.
Seeking redemption after two DNFs on the bounce, Byrne headed into the second qualifying session determined to salvage a result from a tough run of races. However the ultra competitive nature of Clio Cup Europe and Byrne not optimising his fastest lap seen him finish the session in 25th leaving him with a mountain to climb if he was to reach his goal of a top 10 finish.
As race two kicked off, Byrne began a massive first lap charge up the grid picking off 10 cars to vault himself up to 15th place by the end of the opening lap. A short safety car period helped him stay close to the leading pack and as the race restarted he was soon on the move again, charging up through the pack to break into the top 10 but his charge was cut short by a second late race safety car which seen the race finish under yellows. In the end, a 16 place gain on his grid slot brought him podiums in both the Junior and Mid Europe Clio Championships. Byrne travels next to Paul Ricard at the start of October before the championship finale in Monza at the end of October.
Jack Byrne #86 GPA Racing
“We seem to be missing the famous ‘Luck Of The Irish’ this season but race two was a fantastic way to cap off what started out as another tough weekend. Really enjoyed charging up through the pack and a massive thanks to the team for providing a fantastic car all weekend once again. We still have an outside shot of the Junior title but we do need the luck to come our way. I can’t wait to head to Paul Ricard and be hopefully fighting up at the sharp end once again! As always, a big thanks to all my supporters and corporate partners for their continued support.”
Jack Byrne is supported by Motorsport Ireland | Sport Ireland | O’Brien Cement | West Wales Rally Spares | David Byrne Auto Repairs | Slaney View Motors | Ignite Training and Consultancy
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