23rd March 2009

Lucky 7 @ Jarama

Ryan and Derrick started their 2009 VdeV campaign in great style with a 7th place finish in the opening race at Jarama, Spain.

The weekend was blessed with Spanish sunshine and the promise of the duo's Norma showed up just as bright right out of the box. Ryan and Derrick took part in the Friday test day which really whetted the appetite for the rest of the weekend. Both drivers enjoyed working closely with the Norma team on data and found the car beautifully set up with no adjustments to be made - literally arrive and drive! Ryan finished the day quickest driver, remembering the circuit from two years before and constructive playstation time proving very helpful!

Saturday's qualifying session carried on the positive vibe with Ryan slotting the No.33 car 5th on the grid, putting them in an excellent position for Sunday's 4 hour race.

The strategy plan was for Ryan to do with the opening and closing 90 minute stints with Derrick bridging the middle hour. At 2pm Ryan took to the grid for the first race of the season and had a great first session rising as high as 2nd place in the very competitive field.

The first pit stop and driver hand over went smoothly and Derrick, whose times were improving all weekend, put in a solid stint only marred by a back marker being somewhat less than co-operative and making contact which lost time but thankfully didn't cause any lasting damage. A slight over break saw Derrick make a quick detour via the kitty litter but he was soon back on track on pace! With a melee of pit stops with teams opting for both two and three stop strategies Derrick handed over in 13th for Ryan to make the dash for the line.

The final quarter of the race saw Ryan make up numerous places, the fast Jarama circuit making over taking great fun, to take 7th at the chequered flag but the encouraging race times and data show the pair are more than capable of taking the fight to the podium.

"It was a brilliant start" said Ryan afterwards. "The car and team were faultless. Straight out of the box the car was on the pace. I was pleased with my times over the weekend and tip my hat to Derrick who really put in a great effort and that was reflected by his ever improving lap times".

Visit our VdeV Rd 1 Jarama Gallery.

For media inquiries please contact rebecca.hobbs@ryanhooker-racing.co.uk