Jenny Ryan - UK Mini Cooper Challenge

Posted: November 28, 2007 10:16 PM

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28/11/07Awards Night
A hat-trick for Carlow Car Club member, lady racer Jenny Ryan as she stepped up on the top step of the podium for the last time this year at least as the UK MINI Cooper championship awarded their champions at their recent Black Tie ball in Nottingham UK.

The Athy lady won the Club Class, the Ladies Category and no less than the OVERALL Championship amongst a field of 40 other competitors in the male dominated world of Motorsport. Her parents Patricia and Des Ryan, a local haulier were visibly honoured to watch their youngest daughter of 25 years being presented for her exceptional achievement in the sport.

There is no doubt Jenny is the top female racing driver in Ireland having won the Dunlop Fiat Class two years ago, and now crowned the Great & British UK MINI Cooper Champion for 2007. She has excelled in the sport since her first competition in Mondello Park nine years ago and was honoured to have three officials travel over from her local motor club, the Carlow Car Club including the President Mr. Fintan O’Neill to the awards night along with family and her boyfriend Mark.

Jenny, the Kildare Sports person of the month for May in conjunction with the Osprey Hotel, has represented her country well competing overseas. She has been invited to the Irish lunch of champions next week in Dublin and the UK Night of champions in February. She also looks forward being in the line up for Kildare Sports Person of the year award early in the new-year.

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14/08/07
Round 3 Report
A celebration for Athy’s Jenny Ryan as she took the honours in the Mini Cooper Challenge race at Donnington Park, Uk last weekend.

The opening race of the day got underway in glorious sunshine, the track’s temperature began to warm up and those who were dotted around the circuit were treated to a real treat of close, tight racing. As the mini’s screamed up to Redgate corner for the first time, Jenny on the second row of the grid maintained her qualifying position of fourth. The usual battle of the front runners was a tight squabble with little opportunity for overtaking but lots of action keeping the spectators entertained.

Race two and Jenny took the inside slot on row two in third position. Pole sitter, Garry Kounis the championship leader got a great start and Jenny tucked nicely in behind him moving into second place with her team-mate Parsons, and Issatt close behind. Three laps into the race there was a huge accident with two S cars which seen the introduction of the safety car, by this time a battle had developed with a second and a half covering the top six drivers led by Kounnis, but not for long. Once the safety car pulled in it was a dash to the chequered flag with only 8 minutes left on the clock of the 30-minute race. With everyone anxious to get going after the long delay behind the safety car concentration levels had to be at maximum and Jenny just slipped past Kounnis at Goddards, but Kounnis fought back trying all in his power to reclaim the lead to no avail.

Jenny has had a podium finish at each of the five circuits to date and four fastest laps, a excellent record to her credit. She is currently in second place just 11 points behind the championship leader and 29 points ahead of her team-mate in 3rd place. Her main focus is to maintain her consistency. Winning races is a bonus but her main aim is fixed on the title. Eleven of the eighteen rounds have been completed and the next event is the end of the month in Croft, UK.

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01/06/07
Round 2 Report
TEAM-MATES Jenny Ryan, Athy and Graham Parsons, London were in a similar situation in the MINI Cooper Challenge race at Oulton Park Racing Circuit, UK as were the McLaren-Mercedez due Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton in the Monaco Grand Prix last Sunday.

The second race meeting of the 2007 MINI Cooper Challenge took place last weekend in Oulton Park Racing Circuit, and sitting pretty on the front of the grid after Saturday mornings qualifying session was Kildare racing driver Jenny Ryan from Athy.

Along side her on the grid for both races was her teammate who was to be on pole for both races, with no team orders from manager Mark Fish Motorsport. Parsons on pole was all too well aware of the treat Jenny was to him after she finished an amazing double podium triumph at the previous event only weeks previous in Snetterton.

Lights out and it was a storm to the first corner with three abreast battling for the lead from turn one but Kounnis who had squeezed his way into the middle of Ryan and Parsons took the pole sitter out of the race, and took the lead, Jenny kept her distance from the incident and slotted nicely into second place but she was all over his rear bumper, for the opening laps. Tucked in behind the leader mid race she made her move down the inside of turn one taking the lead. It took some stout defending for the remainder of the race to see off a number of attacks from Kounnis and she held her lead superbly to the chequered flag. It was obvious Ryan was the fastest driver out there and her lap times confirmed that when she scored a valuable extra point for fastest lap.

The second race of the challenge was a 30 minute le-mans style rolling start race and Jenny held her place through turn one in second place but found herself too close for comfort to third place sitter Kounnis. While she defended her position her team mate made a good get away out in front but it was short lived for him as he sustained gearbox problems and he had to retire, Kounnis resumed his attack on Jenny but this time round he sent her off track at the hairpin, while under breaking at the second gear corner, she sustained extensive body damage causing it to rub away at the back tyre, this now place Kounnis out in front. Luckily she had created a substantial gap from the rest of the field and time lost with the damage didn’t cause her to loose any more places in the race but challenging the leader at this stage was impossible. As a result of the damaged caused by Kounnis in both races, the results of the second race will remain provisional until the Clerk of the Course investigates CCTV coverage.

“My first win of the series, which is great, and a second place in race two which could have been a win too, but justice may be done yet. I loved the track, very fast corners, I had to be totally committed. I can’t wait to get back home to Athy and celebrate, and I’m hoping for more of the same.”

Jenny’s next event is in the famous Spa Francorchamps Grand Prix Circuit in Belgium in two weeks time.

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08/05/07
Round 1 Report
Expectations were high for Jenny Ryan, Athy at the opening rounds of the 2007 Mini Cooper Challenge, which took place recently in Snetterton, UK. Jenny is hoping to win her first Mini Challenge race soon, after hovering around the top of the field towards the end of the last season and finishing on the podium in three races. A packed grid of 34 cars lined up for qualifying Saturday afternoon and the twenty minute session placed Jenny 4th on the grid for the first two races and 3rd on the grid for the rolling star race Sunday evening.

The club class that Jenny competes in is the 1600cc category, which starts at the rear of its sister class the 1800cc Cooper S grid. More often that not this sees the front runners of the club class getting tangled up in the Cooper S class back markers, and nothing was going to change this season when race one got underway Saturday evening.

From 4th on the grid Jenny made a great start, the S class back-markers were involved in an incident and Jenny found a way around it to come out in third place heading into turn one. The top four drivers had an incredible battle, racing nose to tail for the 12-lap race, but the order stayed the same despite the exciting laps they put in to the chequered flag.

Race two on Sunday morning again seen some excellent racing and this time Jenny had to fend off her teammate, which was an added pressure. From 4th on the grid she got an excellent start, picking up third spot on the opening lap but she again had to fight for a good result, as the racing was so close up front.

The final race of the weekend for Jenny was a 30-minute rolling start race and from 3rd on the grid she held her own place through turn one. In the opening few laps she made it into second place and held that position until Kounis, her main rival from the 2006 championship took over and she was forced back to fourth, but for the remainder of the race the position of the top four drivers changed no less than twelve times during the course of the 30 minute stint. “It was a tough race, there was no time at all to take a breather, it was full on from the start”, but she defended well with Gary Kounis on her rear bumper for most of the race and challenging the guy in front for second place. She drove a great race and finished up fourth in the end, while earning an-extra point for the fastest lap.

Jenny has scored some valuable points placing her well up on the leader board after finishing 3rd in the first two races and 4th in the last race of the weekend. Jenny’s next event is month on Oulton Park, UK.

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28/4/07
Jenny Ryan to compete in the UK Mini Cooper Challenge

A local woman to watch for this year is Jenny Ryan from Athy. Undoubtedly, she is one of Ireland’s top female racing drivers. She is currently in preparation for season with the opening two rounds in Snetterton next weekend.

A self-employed bridal boutique owner by day and a racing driver by the weekend. She has set her sights high this year by hoping to complete the full season. With what has been traditionally a male dominated sport, Jenny has proven her ability by beating the boys in several championships in recent years.

Last year she finished a mere one point outside the top three in the club class and eight overall in a fiercely competitive 32-car grid in the UK Mini Cooper Challenge. Jenny is a woman on the move and with three podium finishes to her credit last year, as well as setting the lap record in Pembrey and a few fastest laps also, she is hoping for at least a few race wins at worst, a championship win at best, on the circuits of the world capital of motorsport, the UK.

The 16 race calendar is scheduled over seven different circuits in the UK and a double header weekend at the famous Formula One Grand Prix circuit in Spa Francorchamps, Belgium which will take place in June this year.

You can follow Jenny’s progress with coverage of the UK Mini Cooper Challenge can be seen on Sky Sports following each event.

Carlow Car Club wishes Jenny every success in her endeavour.