Meet Richard...

 

Richard Clews combines more than 30 years of experience in the automotive industry with a successful career in rallying. His background spans vehicle sales, commercial management, consultancy, manufacturer training and driver experiences, alongside competing in the UK’s most prestigious tarmac events. 

 

Richard began rallying in the Heart of England Rally Championship, taking his first class victory in 2001 in a Startin-sponsored Mini Cooper. A move into the National Tarmac Championship followed, initially with a Peugeot 106 GTi and later an M-Sport Group N Fiesta ST, bringing multiple class and front-wheel-drive championship titles. 

 

Moving to four-wheel-drive machinery with Geoff Jones Motorsport and an ex-Prodrive Subaru Impreza brought further success, including Group N4 and B13 championship honors. By 2016, Richard had become a ten-time class winner in Britain’s leading tarmac championship, regularly finishing inside the top 10 and taking a career-best second overall on the notoriously demanding Otterburn stages. 

 

Further top-10 results followed before Richard moved the Subaru program to Chevron Motorsport. His relationship with Simon and the Chevron team has since developed into a long-term partnership, regularly competing in Chevron’s hatchback Subaru Impreza STi and battling newer-generation R5 machinery for top-10 overall finishes. 

More recently, Richard has also moved behind the wheel of a Skoda R5, achieving top-10 overall finishes on both outings — one on the exceptionally fast Epynt stages and another on the demanding Argyll Rally. 

 

Away from competition, Richard conceived and launched Adrenaline Collective, developing the original idea and building the business on behalf of Startin Group Ltd. Based in Warwickshire, Adrenaline Collective combines specialist performance-car sales with a café, events and a wider community built around a shared enthusiasm for cars. 

 

Having established and developed the business into a successful operation, Richard has now stepped away from the Brand Director role and works as a consultant contractor, combining his commercial automotive experience with the sale of cars and parts and an increasingly active rally program. 

 

Whether developing an automotive business or competing against the clock, the philosophy remains much the same: 

 

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE DRIVER ​