A delighted Daryl DeLeon claimed his maiden British Touring Car Championship win at Brands Hatch on Sunday, and the WSR driver says it’s ‘only just the start’ of his successes.
50 races since making his début in the BTCC, DeLeon claimed his first win after coming through from seventh on the grid on the soft tyre in the second race at the Brands Hatch Indy circuit.
The 19-year-old found himself in second following a lengthy safety car intervention, having benefitted from Dan Cammish’ sudden retirement, and immediately pounced on WSR stable-mate Jake Hill at Paddock Hill Bend when the race resumed.
On a faster tyre, DeLeon was then able to build a comfortable margin to the chasing pack as Hill defended second, and he went on to become the third-youngest race winner in BTCC history.
The Anglo-Philippine racer also scored a seventh in race one and a 13th in race three, on the hard tyre, to cap his best-ever weekend in the BTCC.
“I was lost for words after race two,” said DeLeon to TouringCars.Net. “All the sacrifices, all the early mornings, all the tough times…
“To finally come across that line in first position and claim my first ever British Touring Car Championship win – I can’t describe the feeling. To do it on my 50th [race start] is also a bonus.
“There’s been a lot of hard work. The team have done a mega job all weekend so I’m just thankful to them. It’s only just the start!
“We struggled a bit at Donington. Not that it sets the tone for the rest of the year, but this championship is just full of competitive teams and drivers, it’s one of the hardest championships in the UK if not the hardest, so I knew it was going to be a difficult championship.
“To get my first ever win and be the youngest ever WSR race winner at round two this year, honestly, I’m over the moon and I cannot wait for the rest of the year.”
DeLeon explained that he was keen to get past Hill early on in race two to avoid getting caught in any battles in the pack.
“You’ve got to try and stay out of all the scraps that happen throughout the races, and that was my only option – to go for the gap and try to get a lead and a gap between P2.
“Jake was on the hard tyre, so it was going to be difficult racing someone on a different compound, but Jake was fair.
“Once I was in the lead it was just about getting my head down and trying to build that gap.
“I’m over the moon!”