Media release: 3rd
March 2008
New Zealand Mini
Challenge 2007-8
Round 5
Levels International
Motor Raceway - Timaru
Ryan Lets Leaders Bang It Out
Experienced Wellington driver Grant
Ryan's NZ Mini Challenge debut started with a bang on Sunday at Levels
International Motor Raceway.
Having missed the action on Saturday he was starting from the back of
the pack for Race Two and instantly on the button attempting to move up
through the field of slower cars between himself and the big boys up
the front for a chance of a higher grid position for the afternoon.
Passing any car on the narrow Timaru circuit can be tricky but Ryan was
in for more than he had anticipated from the NZ Mini drivers.
"I started from 14th on the grid and was being very aggressively
blocked by one driver in particular which was very frustrating. On one
occasion I got inside of him on a corner and he just moved down into me
and pushed me into the grass. Later when we were going down the front
straight he was just banging into me until I was pushed into the grass
again!!" said Ryan.
"After finally getting past him I closed the gap on the next driver in
half a lap and got around him with no problems. I finished in 11th
missing out on 10th place had been my goal and they stuck me at the
back again for the last race unfortunately."
Starting from the rear of the reverse grid meant that Ryan was to be
sandwhiched between the the two top championship contenders Brent
Collins and Rhys McKay. This was to make things interesting where he
was concerned about becoming involved with their championship battle
but was still wanting to improve on his position.
"In the final race I was at the back with Brent Collins beside me and
Rhys McKay in front of me. I nailed the start completely and there was
this massive gap between the two and I was dying to go through it but
thought of their championship and pulled back to let them go at it. I
sat back and watched as they banged at each other through the first
corner and I just slotted in behind them."
Later on in the race a safety car was brought out while officials
cleared Adam Dobbs off the track after he pounded his Mini into a bank
of tyres. At the end of the race the final lap board was shown and
Brent Collins, who was in front of Ryan, had been held up by another
car for so long Ryan thought maybe there was a chance to have a go.
"Dobbs hadn't made that corner all weekend and he finally put the car
into the tyres and we had a lap under safety car. I saw the final lap
board and I knew that Collins had been held up by Grigor all race so I
thought I would have a go. The plan was to just leave my braking a
little later down the back straight and slip on through the inside at
the corner. I went into it and tapped my brakes but I must have been on
a small bump or something and the back of the car just swapped ends
straight away!" laughed Ryan.
Ryan managed to control the car rolling it onto the grass with no
damage. He drove back on the track, finished the race and went back to
the pits to hear that the officials had not counted the safety car lap
and the race finish had been reverted to before his plunge and
resulting spin placing him back to ninth.
"Not a very good weekend for me at all actually with missing Saturday
but the drivers in the series seem very friendly and good to get along
with. But being race drivers sometimes when the heat goes on sometimes
they can heat up too. I really enjoyed the weekend but had some
difficulty with some of the corners after gear box trouble put me
behind with practice."
Grant Ryan heads to Invercargill this weekend for something a little
different - a drive in the Suzuki Production Racing Championship.
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