Renault Superfan: Stephen Cunningham
Stephen Cunningham, 46, lives in Glasgow, Scotland and runs the Renault Sport Club Facebook group.
Stephen has been a driving instructor for the past 20 years and has a keen interest in motorsport, football and photography. He drives a Mégane R.S. R26 F1 230 that he's owned from new since 2008. "I have thought about changing it," he says, "but I just can't bring myself to sell it. I will definitely be keeping it when I decide to buy a new R.S."
Renault Sport runs in the family, with his partner also owning a Mégane R.S. R26 F1 230 and his mum driving a Clio R.S. 200. It was buying a Clio 182 of his own in Liquid Yellow that sparked his love of Renault Sport. "It was one of the first cars that I enjoyed every aspect of," he says. "From the stunning colour and looks, to the enjoyment of driving it and the attention it always received."
Stephen admires the passion that goes into the design of every Renault Sport. "Models such as the R26R and R27, among a few others, were limited in number making them not only special but rare," he says. "Renault Sport always produce cars that offer so much more compared to other manufacturers."
This love of the marque soon saw him attending events such as the World Series by Renault. Favourite memories include watching Renault F1TM win the constructors' championship in 2005 and 2006 and attending several rounds of the Renault UK Clio Cup.
More recently, he was able to experience some passenger laps in a Clio Cup race car. "However, my best memory was being invited to Renault Sport Cars in Les Ulis and experiencing an afternoon test driving the new Mégane R.S.," he says.
The Renault Sport Club Facebook group and forum he now runs was started back in 2014. "It's grown every year since and is now one of the busiest groups and forums," says Stephen. "I also produce a club magazine. We have some great members and are lucky enough to be invited to some great events organised by Renault Sport."
The group organises events such as Renault Sport National Meet, local meets and open days at different businesses producing performance parts for Renault Sport cars. "One of my favourite events is the annual trip to the North Coast 500 (www.northcoast500.com)," he says. "I was also lucky enough to be involved in the organisation of the Collector's Area for the World Series by Renault which was extremely popular."
Stephen was also delighted to visit the Renault F1 Team Enstone factory and has been keenly following the return of Renault to Formula 1TM. "It's great to see them back in F1TM and I hope to see them back to winning form," he says. His dream Renault Sport event would be watching an F1TM weekend from the pits, meeting the drivers and experiencing the race from a team's point of view.
Outside F1TM, his favourite track is Knockhill, in Scotland (www.knockhill.com). "It's not the widest or longest track," he says. "But there is always so much action and close racing there. I always enjoy the Renault UK Clio Cup races at Knockhill and look forward to their return this year."