Fourth place for Jehan Daruvala on Formula Renault debut
Debutant single seat racer Jehan Daruvala managed to complete the first race of the Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup (NEC) in fourth position. The Sahara Force India driver drove at the challenging Monza Circuit in Italy against some formidable competitors like Alex Gill, Dennis Olsen and Louis Deletraz, who went on to claim the first position.
Jehan managed to finish race one on P8 after starting on P10 due to an unfortunate red flag that signalled an untimely end to the qualifying session. However, race two was an eventful affair for the young driver from Mumbai. After qualifying on P5, Jehan slipped down the order after running wide while going into the chicane.
Thus began an intense battle, with Jehan trying to push his way up the order from P8. He quickly notched up P7 and fought hard to keep the position. After shaking off Alex Gill, who was chasing him, Jehan made a manoeuvre on Dennis Olsen to move up into P4. The 16-year old Indian racer managed to hang on to the position until the chequered flag was waved.
Speaking about his debut race, Jehan Daruvala said, "It was my first race weekend in a single seater and I qualified and finished in the top ten in both races. I struggled a bit with the car on Friday but the team did a great job. I want to thank the Fortec team and Sahara Force India."
Jehan Daruvala also received the trophy for the top rookie of the event. The next round of the Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup (NEC) will be held on May 23, 2015 at Silverstone.
Encouraging debut for Jehan Daruvala in Formula Cars
| Sahara Force India Academy Driver Jehan Daruvala had an encouraging single seater debut at the historic circuit of Monza in Italy. Making his bow in the Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup (NEC), in which he will compete a full season as part of his 2015 programme, Jehan was only one of four drivers making their formula car debut amongst a highly competitive and experienced grid of 30 drivers. A premature end to qualifying for Race One, brought by a red flag, resulted in the young Mumbaikar being caught out and having to settle for tenth on the grid for Race One; however, Jehan was able to drive well to qualify fifth on the grid for Race Two. Race One was a straightforward affair for the Sahara Force India Academy Driver as he started well and moved up two places to finish eight, with Japanese driver Ukyo Sasahara winning the race. Much more excitement was in store for Race Two: Jehan made a relatively slow start from fifth and was then squeezed wide entering the chicane. Taking a careful approach to the first lap, Jehan lost out and fell to eight before eventually settling in seventh, with rival Alex Gill on his tail. The duo fought hard and exchanged places over the next couple of laps, Jehan using all the experience from his karting days to produce an impressive display of defensive driving. With three laps left, Jehan managed to shake Gill off and quickly closed the gap with the cars ahead to join four other drivers in the battle for third place. With two laps left, the racing got more intense, two of the drivers in front of Jehan making contact. Kevin Jorg spun and Jehan skillfully avoided contact to gain sixth position. He immediately passed another car and then made a brilliant move on Dennis Olsen into the Ascari chicane to move into fourth, a position he managed to hold all the way to the finish. Swiss driver Louis Deletraz won the race by a 2.9 second margin. Jehan was the top rookie driver in the event, receiving a trophy on the Monza podium, and now stands fourth overall in the championship standings with 30 points. "It was my first race weekend in a single seater and I qualified and finished in the top ten in both races. I struggled a bit with the car on Friday but the team did a great job. I want to thank the Fortec team and Sahara Force India." said the 16-year-old after the race. The result wrapped up a very promising weekend for the Sahara Force India Academy driver, whose 2014 highlights included finishing third in the World Karting Championship. The ultra-competitive Formula Renault NEC Championship has launched the careers of some of the current F1 stars like Valtteri Bottas, Kevin Magnussen and Danil Kvyat. The remaining six rounds of the championship will give Jehan the opportunity to race on another five F1 circuits, with the iconic Silverstone Circuit being next on May 23rd. --- --- --- | |
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