Driver Database News

Darryl O’Young repeated another strong fourth-place finish since Round 2 in Italy in May at the fifth round of the FIA GT Championship 2009, held at the Hungaroring circuit near Budapest, Hungary today.

Started ninth on the grid, the Hong Kong driver drove two strong stints in the #61 Porsche 997 GT3 RSR and brought home five precious points to his championship fight. The 29-year-old finished all four races he attended so far in the Top 6 and is now ranked seventh overall in the FIA GT2 Driver Championship.

“We did very well in terms of the race itself although a better qualifying position and pit stop would always helped alot,” says the driver of the second factory support Prospeed Porsche.

O’Young had a great opening stint overtaking two cars and placing the #61 Porsche in the leading pack before handling over to German teammate Marco Holzer. With a real chance to finish on the podium, both Holzer and O’Young pushed hard and overtook three more in the two-hour race before finishing with a respectable fourth. However, a problem occurred during the 1st pit stop with the left front wheel nut getting jammed, losing a precious 15 seconds for the team in the race.

“Compared to my first race where I qualified the car at Silverstone in the opening round, I improved alot this weekend though certainly there is still room for improvement. To be this close again to stepping onto the podium is somehow disappointing as we had a genuine shot at the top 3 today. Yet, this is not at all a bad finish considering the problem we had in the pit stop.”

The #61 LKM and A-Ha Coffee sponsored car will head to Algarve, Portugal for the sixth race of the season, which will take place on the 20th of September.

This year’s Budapest race marked the sixth time FIA GT Championship has visited Budapest, with the first race in 1998 and its last in 2006. The Hungaroring circuit is famous for hosting Formula One races which first started in the 1986 season. British driver Lewis Hamilton triumphed here earlier in July, his second Hungaroring victory after the first win in 2007.

Please visit www.fiagt.com for more race information or www.darryloyoung.com for the latest updates about Darryl.

Having lost its pole position due to stalling at the start of formation lap, then started last in the pit lane before crawling back to second. Yet, Lady Luck turns her back against Darryl again as the left rear suspension failure grounded the team in the pit for another 45 minutes. From then on, the No 1 Chinese GT driver Darryl O’Young and his Team PCS drove frenetically with numerous fastest laps to claim a respectable 3rd place finish at the Merdeka Millennium Endurance Race 2009 (MME thereafter) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, completing 300 laps in total, just six short of champion Team Petronas Syntium.

“We definitely came here to win, we are able to do it, and the champion is only for us to lose. For us to fail with such a minor problem is truly sad and disappointing, though everyone on the team are satisfied with the comeback effort. Hopefully I can come back next year with the team to compete again,” Darryl goes on to express his thanks to team Singaporean owner Mok Weng Sun, who is also one of the three drivers, and the entire team.

O’Young inspired team to great comeback amid of disasters

Led by Hong Kong driver Darryl O’Young, defending champion team PCS Racing didn’t get off to a flying start as many may have expected, instead the car stalled and failed to go for the formation lap, and was degraded from the pole position to start the race from the pit as the last car. However, with the superiority of the car, the team is easily the fastest on the track, and the team overtakes opponents at will and placed the car back to second place, before disaster struck again. The left rear suspension bolt on the car broke during the first hour of the stint, costing the team some precious 45 minutes in the pit before they were back on track.

When Darryl first took the wheel after the accident, PCS Racing was trailing 15 laps, and was down in the 43rd places, out of 44 teams. Thanks to some gorgeous driving by Darryl and his teammates, PCS Racing climbed back up the table strongly again, ranking 20th at the 3.5 hours mark, sixth at the seventh hour mark, and back onto the podium into the last three hours of the race, trailing only six laps at one point of the two leading Petronas BMW’s, this is also the final difference between PCS Racing and the very top of the podium.

“I drove pretty well throughout the race, but accidents are not what we can control. We are the fastest car on the track, and managed to push the car to its maximum potential crawling back, what we need is just more time if we are to complete the comeback, maybe 14 hours will do,” said the 29 years-old driver, who drove for four stints combining four and a half hours on the track.

2009 MME is Darryl’s third endurance race in as many months since his Le Mans debut back in June, racing both in Europe and Asia, it is also the tenth edition of the race. Initiated in 2000, MME is held annually at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, which is also famous for holding Formula One, Moto GP and A1GP races. Darryl O’Young’s PCS Racing is the first ever foreign-based team to take the crown in MME history, when the team triumphed in 2008.

Top Chinese GT race driver Darryl O’Young will defend his championship title at the Merdeka Millenium Endurace Race 2009 tomorrow. The only 12 hours endurance race in Southeast Asia will be held from 1130 to 2330 at the Sepang Circuit in Malaysia on August 8 Saturday. O’Young won the 2008 edition with two other teammates in the Singapore-based Team PCS Racing after finishing first with a record 308 laps in Class O.

This is Darryl’s third endurance race in three consecutive months after having raced at the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans and finished with a respectable fifth at the 24 Hours of Spa only two weeks ago. The 29-year-old scored championship points in every race this season and currently ranks an overall 8th in the FIA GT2 Driver Championship.

Please visit www.malaysiagp.com.my/mmer for more race information or www.darryloyoung.com for the latest updates about Darryl.