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Dolan & Hancock edge ever closer to victory

Drivers Club member, Simon Dolan and coach and club founder, Sam Hancock, had to settle for a SPEED Series pole position and fastest race lap at Snetterton on Saturday after bad luck wrecked any chance of victory in the six hour enduro. 

Hancock had again demonstrated the potential of his Jota Sport-run Ligier JS49 by claiming his second pole position of the season, this time by over half a second. It was he who also took the start of the race on Saturday, immediately pulling out a three second advantage over the opening lap before continuing to steadily ease away from the field. 

Looking to protect his tyres and car, Hancock maintained a gap of around 30 seconds before pitting for his first scheduled stop after 90 minutes. Dolan then took over, putting into practice all that he’s learnt under the tutorage of The Drivers Club over the past 18 months to maintain the team’s healthy half-minute lead. 

But no amount of training could have prepared him for what happened next. With two hours gone, Dolan was following a backmarker through the fast right hander at Coram when the car in front lost control. Spinning first one way and then back across the circuit, Dolan had nowhere to go but straight into the side of the stricken car. 

Although severe, the team were able to fix the damage at the expense of just six laps. Incredibly, despite their patched up machinery, the pair where soon the fastest on the circuit again as they fought back up through the field. 

The team’s efforts would ultimately go unrewarded however after another incident, remarkably similar to the first, proved terminal with 90 minutes remaining.   

Sam Hancock: “Of course it’s disappointing not to finish the race but overall I’m really encouraged by what was one of our strongest team performances to date. Simon’s pace in particular is now seriously impressive and, as a driver pairing, our average speed is good enough for us to realistically aim for victory in all the remaining races. The car was also faultlessly reliable all weekend and has been for some time now. The guys have done an amazing job on this front, especially as it’s also fast enough to be setting pole position by half a second. Unfortunately Lady Luck wasn’t on our side this time but that’s the great thing with motorsport - there’s always the next race

Maiden SPEED series podium for Dolan & Hancock

Drivers Club member Simon Dolan and coach, Sam Hancock, secured their first SPEED series podium at the third round of the season at Brands Hatch on Saturday. While third place at the Kent circuit could have been first but for a late-race red flag denying the duo a shot at victory, the weekend was hugely positive for the team, who now lie second in the standings.

Dolan, taking the start from second position on the grid, produced the best ever stint of his short racing career. Against a strong field of far more experienced drivers, he jumped into the lead after making a fine getaway and after 75 minutes of the 3-hour race, handed the Jota Sport-run Ligier JS49 over to Hancock in second place, just five seconds behind the leader.

With track conditions starting to change rapidly from wet to dry and back again every few minutes, Hancock gambled on a switch to wet rubber during his pit-stop. Dropping as low as fourth position at times while he painstakingly had to nurse his tyres on an often bone-dry circuit throughout a ninety-minute stint, Hancock would then surge back into the lead with every brief rain shower. With just fifteen minutes remaining the heavens opened and Hancock chased down the slick-shod leaders. With victory seemingly in the bag as the deluge continued, the race was abruptly red-flagged ten minutes prematurely on safety grounds with Hancock now just 25 seconds behind the eventual winner.

“Our gamble was just about to pay off and I was closing so fast on the cars in front that victory was virtually a done deal,” said Hancock. “That’s racing though and while it’s a shame, we’re still happy with our first series podium. The huge positive from the weekend was the performance of Simon. In qualifying he was four seconds faster than he’s ever been before around the Brands Hatch GP circuit and his stint in the race was fast and faultless. The whole team are really proud of him and we really can’t ask for anymore than a performance like that.”

“Something just clicked for me this weekend,” explained Dolan. “Everything I’ve been learning with The Drivers Club just came together during qualifying. I think I’ve made a big leap forward and although I am gutted we didn’t win the race, the signs are very encouraging for the future.”

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