 |
|
| Home | Features | Records | Online Store | Media | Careers | Contact Us |
Back to December 2011 Motorsports News Archive
| 07-12-2011 at 09:00: Ryal Harris is Happy with 2011 | |
|
Despite missing out on the title in the finale at Sydney Olympic Park last weekend, the V.I.P. Petfoods Falcon driver was a clear winner in the terms of race and qualifying wins (the same points are allocated for qualifying as for a race). He scored maximum points 11 times out of a possible 34 (26 races and eight qualifying sessions) – two more than the next best driver, second-placed David Sieders, and a whopping eight more than series winner Chris Pither. But non-finishes at Townsville and Sydney, and a single-digit score at Sandown, cost him dearly in a series that favours placings over pace. The final round was fairly ordinary by Harris’s standards. He set a blistering pace in Friday practice, but qualified a disappointing third after failing to find a traffic-free lap on the congested 3.1km street circuit. In the first race he struggled with handling problems to finish a narrow second. He was leading the second race comfortably when his car’s front suspension became one of many victims to the venue’s abrupt kerbs. In a farcical wet final race, he scythed from 15th on the grid to fourth in the two racing laps conducted. Nevertheless Harris salvaged enough points to confirm third placing in the series, his best ever result. Danny Buzadzic, again driving the second V.I.P. Petfoods Falcon in place of Brad Patton, started cautiously but improved rapidly as the race meeting progressed. From being near the tail of the field in practice and qualifying, Buzadzic posted encouraging 19th and 11th results in the first two races. He didn’t fare so well in the third race washout, finishing 25th. Afterward the final flag was dropped for the 2011 seaspm, Harris had mixed feelings about his 2011 V8 Ute Racing Series campaign. “It’s always disappointing when you have a real chance to win something and don’t achieve it, but all things considered I can’t complain about coming third,” he said. “It’s my best result in V8 Utes, and having the most top scores means almost as much to me as winning the series. “I made a few mistakes, had a couple of incidents that might have been avoidable with hindsight, and lost some points because some drivers didn’t drive sensibly. But you have to expect that in such an incredibly tough series – it’s probably tougher than V8 Supercars, although I’d like to find that out first-hand! “My only complaint is that the points system only rewards the fastest drivers in qualifying. In the races, driving to finish is more important than driving to win. That’s never been my style, and never will be. “Congratulations to Chris Pither, though. He knew exactly what he had to do to win the series, and he did it. “Finally, I’d like to thank Peter Burnitt, Brad Patton, Joe de Vries, Cam Wilson and everyone at Big Gun Racing for preparing a race-winning car. Thanks also to my sponsors, especially V.I.P. Petfoods, for giving me the opportunity to compete this year – and hopefully again in the future.” V8 UTE RACING SERIES FINAL POINTSCORE (8 ROUNDS) 1. Chris Pither 935 2. David Sieders 919 3. Ryal Harris 882
|
Ryal Harris had the speed to win the 2011 V8 Ute Racing Series; all he needed was a little more consistency earlier in the year, and a little better luck.^ Back to top ^
|
Login
 Forgot my password! |
|
Copyright © All Vic Pty. Ltd. 2007-2024 |
Terms of Use | Home | Features | Records | Online Store | Media | Careers | Contact Us |