Race Report Clio Cup Series – Paul Ricard April 24 -26 2026

The second round of the Clio Cup Series took us to Circuit Paul Ricard in southern France, where Westbourne Motorsport and Clio Cup Series supported the Ultimate Cup. This prestigious circuit is best known for its colourful tarmac surrounding the circuit and for hosting the French Grand Prix on many occasions since 1971.

This weekend, the team ran three cars: Daire Flock (#22), Ben Colburn (#55), and the elder Colburn brother, James (#21).

Race 1 – Qualifying and Race

It was an early team start at for the first qualifying session of the weekend with cars heading on track at 0800. With cars covered by just 100’s of seconds, it requires both the a perfect lap and a slipstream from another car to be near the front in the Clio Cup Series. After 20 minutes of battling Ben Colburn secured P11, with Daire Flock in P15 and James Colburn in P23 from the 34 car grid.

Race 1 was a competitive and a closely fought contest across the field.

Ben Colburn led the charge for the team, bringing the car home in P6 after a solid and consistent drive, running strongly within the lead group for much of the race.

Daire Flock finished P12, battling hard in the midfield and gaining valuable experience around the demanding Paul Ricard circuit.

James Colburn completed the race in P20, making progress through the field and gaining positions over the course of the race.

The Colburn Brothers scored a shared class podium with James in third and Ben in second in the Challenger category.

Race 2 – Qualifying and Race

The second qualifying session looked in trouble with just five minutes of the session remaining with all cars out of the top twenty. While others failed to capitalise, both Ben and Daire timed their runs to perfection with Ben taking P3 and Daire in P10, while James qualified P24 after being hindered by another competitor on his best lap.

Race 2 proved to be a challenging but eventful outing for the team.

Ben Colburn battled through the race in the lead group finishing 5th on the road at the chequered flag only to be awarded a time penalty of five seconds for exceeding track limits, that dropped him to 11th. This again meant he finished second in the Challenger category behind his rival, Frenchman Aurelien Renet. The disappointment was short lived when Renet was himself disqualified from the race, promoting Ben to 1st in the class. He leaves Paul Ricard leading the Challenger category.

Daire Flock followed in P13 after another hard-fought race in the midfield pack.

Unfortunately, James Colburn’s race ended prematurely, as he was forced to retire (DNF) after contact with another car bent his steering .

There were lots of positives to take away from Paul Ricard, and we look forward to racing at Magny Cours May 29-31.

Hollie Chimley

Paul Ricard Pit lane ready for the off