Our Renault Clios are not simply hot hatch road cars, but have been specifically  designed and built by the Renaultsport factory as bona fide racers, all the way from their screaming 205bhp, 2 litre motors to their straight-cut 6 speed sequential  gearboxes. The Clios are the best training cars there are, because to be quick you have no choice but to carry huge speed into each corner, destabilise the car on the brakes to turn it in, and then balance the car on the throttle until you can apply full power again. This is the art of pure race craft and will change forever the way you drive any car on the track.

Sounds intimidating? Well it’s not, thanks to the Clio’s endlessly forgiving nature and its front wheel drive layout: a good stamp on the throttle will recover most potentially scary situations. Learn its lessons well and you’ll find the experience invaluable as you move up through the ranks to our even faster, yet more thrilling machines.