Daruvala into the lead after Kerpen dominance: German Karting Championship
Kerpen, 18 Sept 2014: Sahara Force India Academy driver Jehan Daruvala jumped into the lead of the German Karting Championship standings with a commanding performance in Kerpen. He came third twice and won the last race. (Centre in pic)
The fourth round of the calendar, running on the track that saw Formula One World Champions Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel hone their skills as young drivers, marked an excellent weekend for the Indian racer, who was quick from the get-go, qualifying third in a very competitive field of 32 drivers.
Starting on the dirty side of the track alongside Championship leader and main rival Martijn van Leeuwen, Jehan dropped some position at the start of the first heats, but a solid display of racing saw him move all the way up to third by the flag. Our Academy driver’s recovery drive was even more aggressive in the second race of the weekend, when he had to claw his way from 10th after the first corner to claim another third spot at the line. This was crucial as it guaranteed Jehan a good position on the grid for the first final – third and on the ideal side of the track.
With van Leeuwen able to get off cleanly at the start, Jehan took the first few laps of Final 1 to clear all other opponents and throw himself in the leader’s pursuit. Despite the large gap, the Indian racer clawed away second after second and managed to put a move for the lead by the halfway mark. A fierce, but clean, fight ensued, with the two Championship protagonists exchanging positions several times; finally, with three laps to go in the 23-rounds race, Jehan claimed the lead and took good defensive lines to hold back his rival until the chequered flag. In a post-race interview, the One From A Billion graduate stated he felt it was one of the best races he had ever driven.
Final 2 promised to be another tight battle between the two drivers, but fate had other plans. With most of the field, unlike Jehan, on fresh tyres, the race appeared to be very close for the top seven; on lap three, as Jehan was leading and van Leeuwen was trailing in third place, the Dutchman’s kart ground to a halt. The remainder of the event, however, wasn’t going to be straightforward for the Sahara Force India Academy racer either, as he fell to sixth, behind drivers mounting fresh tyres. As that advantage faded, Jehan set out to relentlessly close the gap and, one overtake after the other, he regained the lead of the drivers eligible to score points and crossed the line in second overall.
With a full 50-points loot for the weekend, Jehan rises to 147 points, 12 ahead of his Dutch rival with one round left in the Championship. The two worst results for each driver will be dropped, meaning the gap between the two remains small: all is set for a grand finale showdown in Genk (Belgium) on October 3-5.
Jehan will return to action in the CIK FIA World Championship in Essay (France) next weekend.
eom/Press Release from Jehan’s Manager
