Renault Sport Formula One Team driver Jolyon Palmer has given the Renault UK Clio Cup’s race car a big thumbs up after sampling it for the first time.

Palmer shook down the car – the racing version of the Clio Renault Sport 220 Trophy model – at the famous Palmersport training ground and trackday facility in Bedfordshire.

During this weekend (25-27 June) he will be part of Renault’s line-up of star drivers at the Goodwood Festival of Speed before returning to F1 duties in the Austrian and British Grands Prix on 3 and 10 July respectively.

After his first taste of the UK Clio Cup racer Palmer commented: “That is really good fun. I’ve never driven a front-wheel-drive racing car before so it was something different for me.

“But I’m surprised with the amount of grip generally. It also feels like a proper racing car and you can attack the brakes which any serious racing driver loves.

“In summary there’s a lot of grip, it’s very stiff and great fun to hustle. You can see why it’s perfect for a young driver looking to a career in touring cars or even GTs.”

The 2016 Renault UK Clio Cup season is currently at its half-way stage following rounds nine and ten of its calendar at the Croft Circuit in North Yorkshire last weekend.

First past the chequered flag there were three-time Champion Paul Rivett and WDE Motorsport (race one) and first-time winners Max Coates and Ciceley Motorsport (race two) – meaning the ten rounds so far have been won by six different teams and drivers.

Adding to the level of competition and professionalism, all 18 rounds on this year’s UK Clio Cup are taking place at the Dunlop British Touring Car Championship’s high-profile race events – meaning huge trackside crowds plus live television coverage on ITV4 every time out.

Renault Sport’s UK Motorsport Championship Manager Will Fewkes said: “We are delighted to hear Jolyon’s first impressions of the UK Clio Cup race car – operating at the dizzy heights of F1 he is accustomed to engineering excellence.

“Certainly we believe the UK Clio Cup race car to be is the most technically advanced, most reliable and most value-for-money car in any single model ‘saloon’ category out there which is why more and more young career-minded drivers and professional race teams are joining our grid.”