Kaan Önder Scores First Points

18-year-old national driver Kaan Önder was at Germany's Hockenheim circuit on 2-3 May for the opening round of the Audi Sport TT Cup.

Despite an electronic ignition system failure in Thursday's 50-minute practice session that prevented a fast enough lap time, Kaan finished the session 11th. Unable to find the grip and speed he wanted from the car on a damp track, Kaan was forced to start both of the weekend's races from 22nd on the grid after qualifying.

In Saturday's opening race of the series, which runs as a DTM support category, Kaan moved up to 16th immediately after the start, but a battle with a rival left his left-front tyre damaged and it punctured on lap nine, forcing him to retire from the race.

In Sunday's final race of the weekend, run in the rain, our driver climbed as high as ninth and took the chequered flag in 12th, earning his first points in the series.

After the race Kaan said: "It was a very difficult weekend. We knew that competing in the Audi Sport TT Cup, a brand-new car we knew nothing about, would be very tough. Almost all of my rivals have been racing in the VW Scirocco Cup for the last three years with similar cars and tyres. On Sunday our set-up was much, much better, but we are not yet where we want to be with the championship tyres and the set-up of my Audi Sport TT Cup car. We will race at Hockenheim again in the last round of the season and I'm sure we will get a much better result. The second round of the Audi Sport TT Cup, again as a DTM support series, will be held at the Norisring in Germany on 26-28 June. The Norisring is a street circuit and it will be a completely new experience for me."

Kaan will continue his preparations for the season's second round at the Izone Driver Performance Centre at Silverstone in England.