Jehan Daruvala bags Rookie Trophy at Formula Renault 2.0 NEC

16-year-old Daruvala had his quickest lap times deleted on technical grounds

Assen (Netherlands), August 3 Sahara Force India Academy racer Jehan Daruvala won the Best Rookie trophy on conclusion of Round 5 of the Formula Renault 2.0 NEC series here after finishing 11th and seventh in the double-header.

Jehan, the 16-year-old from Mumbai, who had both his quickest lap times in the qualifying sessions deleted on technical grounds, started 18th in Race 1, but slowly managed to work his way up the order and eventually finished 11th on Sunday.

The packed Assen circuit had over 100,000 spectators as Jehan raced for the first time in front of such a huge audience. He started Race 2 from 10th but fell to 11th after a poor start.

In the hair-pin bend after Corner 2, Jehan made a brave move around the outside and used the dirty part of the track. His move paid off as he overtook three cars in one go. The downside was that his tyres got dirty and he lost a bit of grip which saw him lose a position and fall to ninth.

Jehan made another position after a driver in front was forced to take a penalty and then with four laps left, Max Defourney spun right in front of him. Jehan was forced to leave the track to avoid a collision.

Jehan eventually finished seventh and his quick pace meant that he also bagged his first ever fastest lap in Formula cars. Jehan was the best of the Rookies and therefore won another trophy on the podium.

Jehan's efforts saw him move to second position in the Rookie table just 4.5 points away from Max Defourney, the 2014 Italian F4 champion.

"Qualifying was not great. I got my best time taken away as I did cross the track limits, but I had a good start and in turn four could overtake three cars. In the race, I tried to get into a good rhythm and I was happy with my race pace," said Jehan.