Kenney Scores Double Pole and Top Tens at Assen

Sterling, May 12, 2009: Liam Kenney’s second European outing of the season heralded a double pole-winning performance from the American teenager as he locked out the top-spot on the grid for the third and fourth races in the 2009 ADAC Formula Masters Championship at Assen, The Netherlands, Friday 8th – Sunday 10th May.

Unfortunately for the 17-year-old Virginia-based racer, the top step of the podium eluded him in both races due to contact from his Euro rivals but Liam continued to demonstrate his undoubted racing ability, fighting against the odds to collect a pair of top ten finishes, taking ninth in the first race and sixth in the second.

Competing for Ma-Con Motorsports, Kenney’s weekend kicked off in style as he quickly got to grips with the 2.83-mile Dutch track. Qualifying for Saturday’s race saw Liam put down a hot lap three tenths of a second faster than his nearest rival to secure his first-ever European pole. He then beat the rain to bang in a flying lap on slick tires to record his second straight pole in Friday’s final qualifying outing.

A self-confessed poor start, bogging down in too much wheel-spin, proved to be another learning experience but one which saw Liam drop to sixth by the first turn only to be unceremoniously punted off the track in the melee. Dropping to 17th and last in the field, a storming recovery drive followed with Kenney passing for position just a lap later. Ninth at the checkered was a just reward for a gutsy performance.

Sunday’s race would prove no-less incident-free for the American stand-out, last year’s Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup runner-up. Despite a more favorable start this time round, Liam’s lead was surrendered and he again found himself in the thick of the action in the front-end pack. The close nature of the on-track battles again led to contact, this time Kenney’s car sustaining damage to the front-wing and nose cone.

Dogged throughout, the teen raced hard to improve his position having dropped to the outer fringes of the top-ten. He collected his fourth consecutive top-ten finish of the season, and his best to-date, thanks to a solid sixth place at the checkered. Kenney’s team-mate, England’s Adrian Campfield, claimed the spoils in both races.

“Well it was certainly another educational weekend,” stated Kenney afterwards. “I was naturally extremely pleased with my qualifying form – to score back-to-back pole positions was great. The car was good all weekend, the team did a flawless job it’s just a pity the races proved a little too eventful but we made it to the end!”

Liam returns to the ADAC Formula Masters Championship in two weekends time, competing in the fifth and sixth races of the 2009 season at Germany’s famed Nurburgring Circuit, Friday 22nd May.

Liam Kenney enjoys backing from TRAX International, The Rebkee Company, Oakley, Speedware Motorsports, Speed Secrets, Allsports Grand Prix and Zeffirelli Ristorante Italiano.