"The morning practice was very product" said Ryan, who was partnered for the weekend by new team-mate, Andrew Ward. The team were able to utilise the full hour and a half long session. "It is a very bumpy track" said Ryan, "so we actually had to soften the car somewhat to ride the bumps. Otherwise the many changes made since Snetterton were proving to work very well and I was able to push on for 25minutes before handing over to Andrew to become familiarised with the car. All the temperatures behaved themselves!"
Team best lap: Ryan Hooker 1m14.190s Conditions Sunny/Dry
Qualifying
Qualifying 1:
Ryan took part in Qualifying 1. "It started to rain on part of the circuit" Ryan reported back, "and I admit to a little spin but the circuit soon cleared and I was able to put in a good lap to see us far better our previous qualifying positions so I was very pleased with that." This put the team 17th on the grid overall, and 9th in the Cup Class.
Qualifying 1 Time: Ryan Hooker 1m13.438s Grid Position 17 Conditions Sunny/Drying
Qualifying 2:
Andrew took part in Qualifying 2. A difficult car to come to grips with, Andrew put in a sterling effort to learn quickly on his feet and ensure the team took a grid position and did so admirably putting the team 20th on the grid overall, and 10th in the Cup Class for Race 2
Qualifying 1 Time: Andrew Ward 1m21.888s Grid Position 20 Conditions Sunny/Dry
Race 1 - 5.24pm
Ryan started Race 1 where the start proved to be somewhat of a drama. Using the FIA starting light system the reds actually went out before the grid had reformed after the warm up lap leaving some wondering whether the start had been aborted and others already go! Ryan was a little boxed in but soon made ground back and was able to find another half a second per lap from his qualifying time! A safety car incident in the first half saw the field bunch back up and Ryan was able to complete a strong first stint before going in to handover to Andrew.
Andrew went out with the firm aim of making sure the Corvette was brought safely home for its first finish of the season and did so with a great whoop of joy, caught on the in car camera system the team were carrying for the day. Finishing in 8th place in the cup class the team earned not only their first finish but also their first championship point.
"It was a great feeling" said Ryan, "we were all hung over the pit wall waiting to see the car cross the finishing line - we were probably the loudest team in the pitlane! This result was such a huge step in the right direction, proof the developments are going the right way and great encouragement for everyone involved."
Race 1 Position (Cup Class) 8th Team Best Lap: Ryan Hooker 1m12.859s Conditions: Sunny/Dry
Sunday 20th June 2004
Race 2 - 1:31pm
Andrew started Race 2, held in wet and cloudy conditions. The safety car once more made an appearance which helped bunch the field back up. After a consistent first half, Andrew came in for the driver changeover which he and Ryan had practised hard over the weekend. This changeover saw them equal their best practice changeover time of 27seconds.
"I had a good stint" Ryan said, "I came out with cars all round me and had some good racing with a Noble and a Porsche. It was such a relief to be in the thick of it again, overtaking and seeing the cars development working for us. Once again I was able to improve my lap time further and this is really encouraging. Then we saw the chequered flag again!" The team finished 11th (Cup Class) but were later moved up a position after the disqualification of Cup Class winners Kershaw and Whight.
Race 2 Position (Cup Class) 10th Team Best Lap: Ryan Hooker 1m12.750s Conditions: Cloudy/Wet
The next British GT round is at Oulton Park , Cheshire on 17-18th July
