“I’m sick of being the bridesmaid!” — Hans ready for fresh Yokohama semis and more boost for upcoming NZ Superlap Series season”

Last season, we extensively covered Hans Ruiterman’s NZ Superlap Series campaign. With a 707hp SR22D/VET (yes, VCT and Neo!)-powered Nissan Silvia S14.5, Hans has contested NZ Superlap for some time now, with numerous round wins under his belt, alongside a competitive campaign in New Zealand’s GTRNZ series.

During the off-season, Hans has been extremely busy building an S-chassis for time attack. Not the one you see before you though, no; this red rocket has been sitting, collecting dust since last season, with the addition of a new front splitter, some vents in the side skirts, and a new section between the headlights. The engine remains much the same, besides a fresh tune on Gull Force Pro fuel but now sports a few extra kW, should high-boost be required or able to be used — weather dependent.

“Our tyres are still the same set we brought back from Australia when I helped out Kat Benson at WTAC, 2016. They are now two seasons old and well past it, so the most significant mod for this season will be a fresh set of Yokohama A050 semi-slicks that should be due to arrive around January or February.”

When we asked Hans at the end of last season whether or not he’d be back racing in the upcoming season, there was no plan too, but rather he’d compete in GTRNZ. However, with the news that there is to be another young Ruiterman on the way, due around March, Hans opted for the more affordable series, with the ability to drop a round in March. However, “the decision to switch was made a bit late, I missed the boat to get the A050 tyres in the country before round one,” Hans explained.

After recovering from hip impingement surgery, Hans strapped himself into the freshened up Silvia for round one at Hampton Downs Raceway. With no testing, Hans managed to pull off an incredible 1:07.01 in less than ideal condition; rain, wind, and sun — you name it! This is just half a second off Hans’ personal best, which gives great confidence in the current setup.

“Our highs for round one would have to be holding our own against the 4WD cars in both wet and dry conditions. During the weekend, we had the quickest time in both wet and dry, until the shootout on Sunday afternoon where I got knocked off the top by less than 0.03-seconds. We definitely don’t want this happening for round two!”

“Our lows for the round would have to be some post-surgical pain from my tight bucket seat, so we are fitting a wider seat before the next event to solve this. I would like to thank my supporters E&H Motors, Gull NZ, Motul, Devise, TT Industries, Onehunga Panel and Paint — without them this wouldn’t be possible!”

Hans is incredibly fast at Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park, where the second round will be held. With dry conditions, he’ll be extremely hard to beat. As the season progresses, we will keep you updated.