“I just need a chance” – Phil Glew Interview

In 2009 Phil Glew dominated the Renault Clio Cup, taking eleven wins on his way to the title. Now the 25-year-old is targeting progression to touring cars for the coming season, and spoke directly to TouringCarTimes about his championship win and the financial hurdles up-and-coming drivers face in trying to secure a drive in the British Touring Car Championship.

With wins in Formula BMW, British GTs, Time Attack and the Caterham European Masters, plus podium finishes in Radicals, Formula Ford and Formula Renault, and duties as a driving coach to Jamun Racing and Chief Instructor duties to the late Formula Women series, Glew has had a wide-ranging progression through the ranks until joining the Renault Clio Cup in 2008.

A podium position first time out promised much after just one test, but wins eluded Glew, who went on to finish third in the standings behind Ben Winrow and double Clio champion Paul Rivett.

A year on though Glew took the Clio title comfortably, winning the Championship at Rockingham with a meeting to spare, by 116 points from nearest challenger Alex MacDowall while third placed driver Andrew Herron finished just one shy of 200 points in arrears. Indeed were it not for the Clio’s dropped score system, then Glew’s advantage would have been even greater.

Taking eleven victories, eleven pole positions and nine fastest laps from the 20-round series, Glew also helped Team Pyro secure the entrants prize.

From the last ten years of Clio Champions though, just twice has the number one driver stepped directly up into the BTCC for the following season, while two others made it into the championship, albeit not directly from their victorious campaign.

Of the current grid both Jonathan Adam and Tom Onslow-Cole are Clio Champions, and it is their presence in the BTCC that the racer from Tothill, Lincolnshire hopes to emulate in 2009.

So TouringCarTimes sat down with Glew during the Autosport show to discuss how his plans for 2010 were coming along.

TouringCarTimes: Firstly Phil, congratulations on your Clio Cup title. A couple of months on, has the championship win finally sunk in?

Phil Glew: It has just about. I was saying to someone earlier that it’s a shame I didn’t have longer to enjoy it.

I wanted it to end obviously, as I wanted to win the Championship, but at the same time it all blended into one. As soon as I finished with the Clios we started looking at touring cars and how we were going to put that package together – talking to sponsors, talking to teams – and then we had Christmas and now we’re here at the show.

It’s all just blended into one year, which is a shame as it’d have been nice to enjoy the Clio Championship, as it was my first Championship win after having finished second and third plenty of times.

But yeah, to win the Championship was absolutely amazing, and it has just about sunk in. Especially now I’m here at the show reflecting on the 2009 season with our trophies and car here on the stand.

TCT: So it’s a similar situation to Colin Turkington then, he’s said that 2009 is over and he’s now looking at competing for this year’s title rather than considering himself ‘the champion’?

PG: It is similar, although I’m not going to be doing the same championship again. And of course you need to remember that each of us, Colin and me are going to be reigning champions until around November time this year!

TCT: You’ve said that you are aiming to step up to the BTCC for the coming season, how is that move looking at the moment?

PG: It’s looking ok. Financially we’re probably about half way there, maybe a bit more, so for the middle of January it’s not a bad position to be in. However we’ve still got a lot more to find and where that is going to come from.

We’re talking to a lot of the teams, I won’t say who, but we’re talking to a lot of the big teams, the top teams, and we’re trying to strike a deal with one of them.

The annoying thing with motor racing is it all depends on sponsorship. Luckily I’ve got a great sponsor in WD-40 / 3-In-One and they are backing me up into touring cars and are going to be good enough to stay with me for the next few years in touring cars.

There is a lot to go on, but it’s just putting it all into one package now and making it all work.

TCT: Many expected to see you out in a touring car testing by now, but that obviously hasn’t happened. Is there any particular reason why?

PG: I was hoping for that before Christmas, but it never happened. I’d love to, but again a lot of my sponsorship deals are based on actually racing in the championship. No one will give me money just to go testing.

So yeah we are hoping to get out in a car, but I’d say it’ll all be merged into a whole package rather than just testing.

TCT: It must be frustrating then to see a driver you beat in the Championship (Alex MacDowall) out testing the BMW and Lacetti then?

PG: Do you know what, it is very, very frustrating! Good luck to him, as he’s testing with, and could sign for, one of the top teams and end up using one of the fastest cars. But it costs a lot to run the Lacetti.

I beat him fair and square. I beat him comfortably, so to see him just go and jump in a touring car and have no worries in the world is a little bit frustrating for me, because I’ve got to work really really hard at it, rather having just one sponsor paying his budget. It’s down to me and my manager to find lots of sponsors or a few big sponsors to try and put a deal together to get in a car.

So it does frustrate me because I think to be fair he should do another year in Clios to prove himself. In my opinion you’ve got to prove yourself, but we’ll see how he gets on. Good luck to him!

TCT: In percentage terms, how confident are you of making it onto the grid at Thruxton?

PG: That is a good question! I reckon I am about 75%, which is not bad in January.

TCT: Does the current uncertainty in touring cars, both BTCC and WTCC, help? Not too many drivers seem to have done deals yet.

PG: It does in a way because I think if there’s no one signed up to teams then there are drives available. Therefore teams need to sign drivers and they’re going to do you a deal.

At the same time I know how much it costs to run a touring car, and it ain’t cheap! So you can’t expect a team to lose money to do that, why would they do it! But I’m hoping there are going to be deals out there as some teams have got a bit of backing behind them already.

I want teams to give me a look in or a chance. I can prove to them that I can do a job as well as almost anyone out there, but I just need a chance to prove that.

I only want a year in touring cars. There are a few drivers who have been out there and really tried hard but have not got anywhere. Steven Kane and Jonny Adam are both very very good drivers and have had a year in it and didn’t get anywhere. I believe especially after something like Clios, which teaches you how to race properly, that I feel I’ve got a good chance of getting up into touring cars.

It’s going to be hard, either way, if I get out there up against people like Plato and Neal, so I don’t want to kid myself, but at the same time I do believe in myself.

TCT: You’re not considering buying your own car and starting your own team then?

PG: No. There’s no point, absolutely no point in my opinion. All the hard work has already been done by the teams to get a setup and establish themselves. All I’d be doing is wasting money trying to learn.

It wouldn’t cost any less either really, maybe a little bit less but is it worth it, paying a little bit less money but not doing as well? It costs what it costs, but hopefully I can do a deal.