Race Report Clio Cup Series Round 3 - Magny Cours May 29-31st

Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours hosted the third round of the Clio Cup series. The iconic track which used to host Formula 1, provided a highly competitive field as part of the Ultimate Cup Series weekend. The event featured two qualifying sessions and two races across the three-day meeting. 

The weekend ran the same three cars as Paul Ricard: Daire Flock (#22), Ben Colburn (#55), and James Colburn brother, (#21). With temperatures soaring to 34 degrees!!

Race 1 - Qualifying and Race 

On the Saturday the high temperatures made both qualifying and the race challenging for drivers, both in terms of tyre management and the physical fitness required in the sweltering heat. Qualifying was a tense affair with no margin for error, every tenth of a second counted to be near the front of the 30 car grid. Daire headed up the team’s performance in 10th with Ben just behind in P11 and James lining up in P21 on the grid.

Race 1 proved to be a competitive challenge with overtaking opportunities at Magny Cours limited compared to other European circuits Ben made an excellent start, gaining two positions off the line and immediately moving into the top ten, A race long battle with last year’s Challenger category Champion, Filip Kuncer from Montenegro saw them cross the line just a metre apart in 8th and 9th respectively. Ben made the Challenger category podium in 3rd.

Daire showed impressive pace throughout the weekend. Despite having a track limits infringement affect his qualifying result, he responded well in the race with a strong opening lap, gaining two positions early on.. Managing the demanding conditions effectively, he worked hard throughout the race to bring the car home in P11, just behind UK driver Nicky Taylor.

James delivered one of the standout performances at the start of the race, gaining five positions within the opening lap and making significant progress through the field. Following a Safety Car period on lap two, he continued to push forward and completed the race in P16 after another determined drive.

Altogether, the team showed strong racepace in difficult conditions, with all three drivers making progress and gaining valuable championship points and experience.

Race 2 - Qualifying and Race 

The second qualifying session was tricky with a red flag interruption half way through the session, following French driver Louis Gehin’s heavy crash in the wall at the final chicane. The session was stopped just as our drivers were on their best laps with tyre temperatures having reached optimum levels. The session was restarted with just seven minutes remaining leaving just a three lap window for drivers to improve. Ben was the first to attack, setting the fastest lap of any driver with two laps to go, eventually finishing a strong sixth near the front of the field. It was a good team result with P12 from Daire, and P19 from James.

Race 2 was an eventful but cooler one with some fierce battles leading to some contact and minor damage on the opening lap for Ben and Daire. A safety car on lap two due to a racing incident neutralised the race, allowing all three drivers to assess the car. 

Daire’s race was a fraught affair with a race long battle with Nicky Taylor and in the closing stages current overall Championship leader Damiano Puccetti, coming home a fabulous P7 and securing his first Junior category victory of 2026.

Ben finished P3 in Challengers category (P8 overall) sadly losing a position on the last lap due to a fuel fault, causing the car to momentarily cut out.

James also showed a positive performance gaining many positions on the opening laps however lost pace and towards the end gained 2 positions, finishing in P16 from P19. A jubilant Daire commented “ Really pleased with the result today, the team have worked really hard to get the car just right and it showed in today’s race pace. Winning the Junior category is a real achievement with so many talented and upcoming drivers aiming for top spot. I’m really looking forward to making the journey to Italy, it’s a new circuit for everyone so I cant wait to experience it”

All eyes will be on the next round in Mugello, Italy June 10-12.

Amelia Wickborn