Renault Clio Cup Series: 2021-Present
The successor to the Eurocup Clio, the Clio Cup Series was created by merging the existing national/regional Clio championships in Europe. The Clio Cup Series is essentially the banner under which the European, French, Italian, Spanish and Mid-European championships compete. Each of these series takes part in a selection of the Clio Cup Series’ overall rounds, sharing the track with one or more of the other series.
This leads to extremely large fields, and it's not uncommon to see in excess of 40 Clios take to the grid; grids have even been known to reach nearly 60 cars on occassion. As if Clios needed any help providing entertainment, this makes the racing even more frantic.
Currently, the championship uses the R.S. model of the fifth-generation Clio. Compared to most forms of racing, where cars continue to get larger, heavier and more powerful, the Clio Cup car manages to retain much of its old-school charm. Weighing just north of 1000kg and with around 200hp, the Clio is an attractive package for young tin top drivers working their way up the ranks as well as less-experienced gentlemen drivers.
With Renault's road cars increasingly moving towards hybrid or full electrification, it remains to be seen what the future holds for this stalwart of one-make racing.