While the SEAT-dominated action at the front of the UAE Touring Car grid will no doubt be fast and furious during the forthcoming season, we’re looking forward to some more Gallic tussling further down the grid.

For the first time, this season’s UAETCC will feature a new category – the Renault Clio Cup. This will see virtually identically matched French hatchbacks battling it out amongst themselves, in the middle of the main touring car grid. Various Clios have appeared in the UAE series before, but this will be the first time a dedicated Renault battle has been organised.

So far only the sporting regulations have outlined what we can expect, but from those we know that Renault 197 and 200 Cup cars will be eligible, and no tinkering with the ECU is allowed to ensure parity between entrants. Officials reserve the right to switch ECUs between competitors, just in case.

Clio Cup racing is immensely popular in Europe, where it produces close-run, hard-fought battles, so we hope it’ll add an extra spice to the proceedings in the UAETCC. We’ll be getting the full lowdown on the new season of UAE National Racing at the Media Day later this week, so stay tuned for more info.