DOWNTON'S Ollie Pidgley landed the UK Clio Cup drive with top British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) team, Ciceley Motorsport.

The 18-year-old, who attended Trafalgar School, will join BTCC team Ciceley Motorsport for its maiden assault on the Renault UK Clio Cup next year.

Pidgley showed real potential throughout a five-year karting career and during sporadic outings in the Michelin Clio Cup Series and the MSA Formula single-seater championship. That event, like the UK Clio Cup, is played out in front of huge trackside audiences and the millions who tune in to ITV4’s live coverage of the BTCC and its supporting categories.

Pidgley, a protégé of former Clio Cup Champion and team owner Danny Buxton, is looking forward to the new adventure.

He said: "There will be an expectation because it’s Ciceley, but that will come from outside – I don’t see it as a pressure, but I know I need to deliver.

“They will want top results. Above all it’s just very exciting to be a part of Ciceley’s first season in the UK Clio Cup and they are making sure it is linked very strongly with their BTCC operation at race events.

“I already feel well-prepared and driving the new Ciceley car at Donington re-confirmed just how fantastic these cars are when you start to push them. They are also pretty much bulletproof in terms of reliability. The UK Clio Cup has been my goal for a couple of years now because it is the biggest one-make racing championship in terms of professionalism and following in Britain and it is also the number one stepping stone to where I want to be, which is touring cars.”

Ciceley Motorsport Team Principal, Russell Morgan, said: “We’re very happy to welcome Ollie (Pidgley) to the Ciceley fold as part of our exciting UK Clio Cup programme and have been highly impressed with what we’ve seen of him so far. He has a mature head on his young shoulders and is clearly both talented and determined – all traits that have convinced us he is our kind of driver.”