Ross Wylie drives to Germany later this week praying that a clowder of black cats will run in front of him to banish the appalling luck the talented young Scottish racing driver has endured in recent weeks.
The 21-year-old from Thornhill near Dumfries contests two races in the Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup at the Nürburgring in Germany this weekend (17-18 Aug) with Wylie looking to end a three-race non-finish sequence.
The innocent victim of two accidents in the German series left Ross understandably frustrated but a non-finish caused by a brake problem in the 11th round of the in the APR Volkswagen Racing Cup at Brands Hatch today (SUN) left him lost for words.
Wylie started the opening race on the 2.43-mile Grand Prix circuit in Kent placed third on the 27-car grid – Ross’s first UK race for two months in his Slidesports prepared Volkswagen Scirocco – but grabbed second at the start.
He challenged for the lead on the third lap but had to back out of the manoeuvre due to a waved yellow “caution” flag because of a stopped car at the side of the track.
That dropped Wylie to third place but further around the same lap the Scot’s VW suffered a brake issue resulting in contact with the barriers.
Ross reflected: “I’d made a good start and was challenging for the lead when I saw the yellow flags. Lost momentum dropped me to third place but then the brake fluid boiled and I lost all of the brakes. I tried to throw the car around Westfields [corner] but the speed took me off the track and into the barriers causing front end and left rear body damage.”
Starting from the last row of the grid in race two, Wylie had moved up from 25th to 15th after just one lap and was inside the top-10 by lap six, Ross finishing ninth after 12-laps – just missing out on eighth by 0.183secs.
Ross, who has dropped from third to sixth in the British series, is determined to bounce back after enduring two successive non-finishes in the German series at the Red Bull Ring and the Norisring respectively.
Ross added: “In both cases, I was taken out in accidents which put a massive dent in my title aspirations not to mention my car! I had been lying second in the ‘Junior’ category standings but these two non scores have dropped me to eighth.
“So I’m really determined to post two good, solid results at the Nürburgring which, as applies to all of the overseas races, is a track I’ve never raced on let alone seen before.
“Nürburgring is on every racing driver’s ‘to do’ list and I have been studying on board footage and ‘driven’ 30 laps on the iZone Driver Performance simulator so hopefully I am well enough prepared.”
(ends)
Twitter: @RossWylieRacing
Facebook: RossWylieRacing
Website: www.rosswylieracing.com
* Editorial Copyright Photographs from Brands Hatch