Jayden HW Takes His First THR Victory at Interlagos
Jayden HW led all 47 laps in the Ligier to win the opening round of the Championship, setting fastest lap on the way. Jannes Reinders' McLaren followed him home second, while Ony was classified third after 46 laps.
A New Name at the Head of the Record
There was a particular significance to the result at Interlagos beyond the beginning of an eight-round Championship. Jayden HW's victory was his first recorded THR race win, drawn from the whole archive of main, casual, special and endurance competition. It was achieved with none of the ambiguity that can attend a crowded opening round. The Australian's Ligier JS35B was at the head of the field at the end of every one of the 47 laps.
That is a simple statistic, but a substantial one. In a field representing Ligier, McLaren, Brabham, Jordan, Ferrari, Benetton, Williams, Minardi and Footwork, Jayden made the first position his own from the outset and did not surrender it. He also recorded the fastest lap, a 1:16.005, to underline the authority of the afternoon.
The race did not provide a final-lap duel for the lead. Its character instead lay in the discipline required to preserve a lead through the full distance while the traffic and contests behind continually rearranged themselves. Jayden reached the flag after 47 laps with the important first victory securely established.
Reinders Holds the Chase
Jannes Reinders gave the McLaren MP4/6 its strongest result of the meeting, coming home second after completing the full 47 laps. It was a valuable opening performance behind the Ligier and ensured that the front of the classification was not a single-marque affair.
Behind them, the other Ligier of Ony was classified third after 46 laps. Potatohedron, also in a Ligier, was classified fourth on the same distance, with Florian Masse fifth in the Brabham BT60Y and Hélder Ferreira sixth in the second McLaren. Thus the first six places offered a fair reflection of the variety of machinery that had gathered at Interlagos, while the Ligier and McLaren contingents emerged most prominently.
For Jayden, however, Reinders' second place was chiefly a reminder of the standard required even on a day when the lead was never formally lost. The Championship has only just opened, and the McLaren's presence immediately behind the winning Ligier supplied the first outline of the contest to come.
Ferreira's Long Return
The most notable recovery belonged to Hélder Ferreira. The Portuguese driver was as low as 22nd after the second lap, yet worked his McLaren through the field to be classified sixth after 46 laps. A gain of 16 places from that low point made his result one of the more substantial undertakings of the race.
Ferreira's progress was not merely a late accumulation of positions. From laps 32 to 40 he formed part of a close three-car group with Adamike99 and Technoluddite, the trio remaining within five seconds of one another throughout that spell. In the end Technoluddite was classified seventh after 46 laps, immediately ahead of Filipe Santos' McLaren, also on 46 laps.
The recovery lent some depth to an afternoon otherwise defined at its head by Jayden's uninterrupted command. Ferreira had been forced to rebuild his race from the lower reaches, and his sixth place was a tangible return from a difficult early position.
The Battles Behind
There was close work throughout the middle of the order, particularly where Duderei and margar17 repeatedly exchanged the advantage. They ran within two seconds of one another for five consecutive laps early on, with margar17 moving ahead on lap four before Duderei reclaimed the place a lap later. Their contest resurfaced later in the race, and margar17 again moved in front in the closing stages.
Margar17 was ultimately classified 11th after completing 45 laps, with Duderei 12th on the same distance. It was a modest difference in the official order, but one earned through a contest which had endured far longer than the final positions alone might suggest.
A similarly busy early exchange involved Pete Bondurant and Technoluddite. Bondurant briefly held the advantage on lap five, only for Technoluddite to move back ahead on the following lap. Bondurant later reclaimed the place before Technoluddite again went through on lap 18. The Minardi driver carried that earlier success into seventh, while Bondurant was classified 13th after 45 laps in the Ferrari 643.
Interlagos therefore gave the Championship an opening result of unusual personal consequence. Jayden HW has placed his name in the THR record for the first time, and he did so by controlling the race from beginning to end. Reinders, Ferreira and the close-running midfield ensured that the next round will not begin without questions, but the first answer of the season belonged emphatically to the Ligier driver.