Dream debut for Rookie Curnow (14 Apr 04)

Ross Curnow enjoyed a dream start to his Formula BMW UK Championship challenge, finishing first Rookie in his debut race.

Competing at his local track Thruxton on Sunday, he secured tenth place overall and also clocked the fastest lap by a Rookie driver in the day's opening round. The 16-year-old finished in a time of 18:08.298, beating nearest rival Marcos Vilhena from Brazil by nearly two seconds in a race that proved a double success for his team Panther Motorsport, as senior driver Simon Walker-Hansell was the overall race winner.

The former karting star, who made the step up to the single-seater challenge this year after winning an international scholarship, said he had enjoyed his debut experience, despite having had very little time to get used to his car ahead of competition.

He said: "We had one day of testing and then qualifying, so it was not really a lot of time. But it was good. The car is fine. "Curnow added that his first race had been a learning experience "There was a big battle going on in front of me that the top rookies were all just trying to stay out of. What I feel I can do now is improve on the start.”

Curnow went on to gain a second place and 12th overall in his second race. He finished in a time of 18:09.769, just over a second behind Rookie Jordan Wise of Soper Sport.

Curnow is one of the youngest drivers in the Rookie competition, which carries an age limit of 25 and now he now leads the points standings for the Rookie Cup.

The next round of the Formula BMW UK Championship takes place at Brands Hatch on April 25.

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