Drivers Club ‘pupil’ Simon Dolan and his coach and club founder, Sam Hancock, scored the team’s first VdeV series victory with a fine against-the-odds performance in a nail biting race in the opening round of the 2010 season, the 4 Hours of Jarama, at the weekend.
Dolan and Hancock, entering their second season together in the pan-European prototype endurance racing series, took the win despite only qualifying 14th on the grid in their Ligier JS49, which was strangely down on power all weekend.
The win was testimony to a superb team display, as several strategy calls paid off handsomely. First, as drizzle fell before the start of the race, the squad opted to switch to wet tyres but leave dry settings, while several other teams decided to change setup and start the race from the pitlane.
That call immediately gained Dolan, a long-term member of The Drivers Club – Jota Sport’s exclusive private driver training programme, a number of places and he then produced an impressive performance in treacherous conditions at the Madrid-based circuit, handing the car over to Hancock in eighth position at the end of his one hour 45 minute stint.
A second timely strategic decision came during the driver change as, with the track beginning to dry, the team chose to bolt on dry tyres for Hancock’s stint. While the surface was still slippery, the former Le Mans Series LMP2 champion was immediately the fastest man in the race and quickly dispatched those ahead to take the lead and pull out a 40-second advantage.
Needing a late splash-and-dash fuel stop to finish the race, Hancock surrendered his lead with 50 minutes to go when he pitted under Safety Car conditions. He rejoined in third place, immediately inheriting second when the car ahead received a drive-through penalty, and proceeded to chase down the leader.
In the closing stages Hancock fought hard with the Norma of Philippe Mondolot and, after eventually forcing an error from the Frenchman, he was able to make his way past, holding his advantage to the line to take a seven-second victory.
Quotes
Sam Hancock: “We’re very, very happy with that performance. Our car has strangely struggled for pace this weekend so to pull off our first win despite that is testament to fantastic team work. The strategy, pit stops, driver changes, refuelling and reliability, as well as the performance of Simon, were absolutely spot on. We were the best prepared team on the day and every single person performed their role brilliantly.”
Simon Dolan: “I never imagined that I would be winning at this level, against ex-F1 racers like Alex Caffi and Philippe Alliot, after just two seasons in the sport. This success is down to the all the hard work of The Drivers Club and the excellent coaching I have received from Sam. I am delighted to be part of such a fantastic team.”
Source : Drivers Club