Sleepworld driver Delano de Ketele starts the second year of the Mazda MX-5 Cup in good spirits: “Fighting in the leading group was good”

ZANDVOORT – Delano de Ketele drove last weekend in the first Mazda MX-5 Cup weekend at the Zandvoort circuit during the VRM Spring Race 2024. The eighteen-year-old driver from Wetteren, Belgium, will shine again with attractive colors. of main sponsor Sleepworld this year. Last year he made his motorsport debut and already showed good performances on various circuits. Delano also showed this weekend that he is unstoppable. The fast Belgian took part in the big group that led in the third race and the podium is close.

The driver, who plays for DDK Motorsports, made his debut a year ago. In the first race he drove, he had to start straight from the pole position. Fortunately, the pressure was a little less this year. “Now it’s the third time I’m racing in Zandvoort. I’m starting to get used to it a bit now. The battle was good. Especially the last race was very good. It was very good. Especially to be in. The leading group fighting was very good to see and experience.”

“Last year was a learning season. Of course, we also had a few setbacks due to events in Biashara and Assen, where we suffered defeats. But we look back with hope on last year and we are optimistic about this season. We will have a few podiums this year,” says the cheerful Belgian with a wide smile. “Because the driving speed of the platform is real this season.”

This winter, Delano and his team were not idle: “Of course we have also spent a lot of time tinkering with the car, especially after the Assen incident, because there was a lot of work ahead of us. But once the car was ready we tested it a few times. so we had a good feeling coming into the competition.

Delano has also set himself an important goal for next season: “We also want to try to reach the top 5 in the junior championship. And if possible, we also want to get places on the podium,” Delano says enthusiastically. “We really want to take that with us”

Delano already showed great speed in practice sessions on Friday and in qualifying he was sixth fastest. In the race he started fifth, sixteenth respectively: “It gives a bit of confidence to know that the speed is there. That’s good to know.”

In the first race Delano started well, but at the corner of Hugenholtz he ended up inside. That’s why he lost so much in the Scheivlak stretch. Delano lost a lot of ground there. And then he also had a small conflict with a competitor. So that’s a shame. In the first race he finished in eighth place, but due to a collision with a fellow competitor, Delano was pushed back to tenth place. Fortunately, he got his revenge in the following race and passed the checkered flag in seventh place in the second race. Delano wanted to say only a few words about this, because he really wanted to talk about the third race.

“I was in the leading group from the start. We fought until the last lap. That was really good. It was a shame that there was a Safety Car on the last lap, so we couldn’t find a place to lose. It was really a shame, but it remains a race great to finish in seventh place among young people in this way is very positive they were in the leading group.

Delano’s next race will be at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, a stone’s throw from Wetteren. However, he still has to wait until the first weekend of June. Still Delano is determined to put on a great show for his home crowd: “Maybe we can get a good podium place there, that would be great. It was a great weekend and it remains an amazing trophy to run. It was another weekend where we learned a lot, so we’ll take all of this.” to Spa.

Opposite Ketele thanks to his family, sponsors Sleepworld, Mykart.be, DDK-Motorsports.be, Autoglas clinic and especially his chief technician Yentel and data man Benjamin. “Benjamin is new to our team and is a data analyst, he has done a great job. It was great to have him there.”

Website: DDK-Motorsports

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