VW Racing 2008 Season

Double top for Fullbrook at Snetterton

2008-06-08T11:39:00Z

Joe Fulbrook rocketed into the lead of the Volkswagen Racing Cup today thanks to twin wins at Snetterton at the wheel of his turbocharged Bora. Joe took the first of them on the final lap after shooting to the front of a four-car fight, and then had the second win drop almost in his lap when leader Jamie Perry struck car trouble almost within sight of the flag.

The long Snetterton straights always make for superb slipstreaming action, and the first of the day's races in the Hankook-backed championship provided plenty of it, with four cars battling for victory for much of its distance and three different leaders.

The 2006 champion, Paul Taylor, made one of his customary dramatic starts in his four-wheel-drive Golf R32, slicing from row two of the grid between front-row men Adrian Dziurzynski (Golf GTI) and Fulbrook to take up an early lead.

But Hertfordshire-based Taylor was not allowed to escape, Bournemouth boy Dziurzynski keeping close tabs on him and even pulling alongside him on the main straight on a couple of occasions. Perry's Keith Garages-backed Golf GTI was close behind in third and Fulbrook was soon on the tail of the leading trio to join in the fun.

Taylor kept his pursuers stopped up like a cork in a bottle until the 12th lap, when Dziurzynski nipped through on the inside at the Sear right-hander to lift the lead, and he was followed through by both Fulbrook, who had earlier snatched third, and Perry. Taylor, whose Golf suffered suspension damage when it touched the Dziurzynski Golf, fell to fifth as Martyn Culley's Vento sped past also.

With impeccable timing Fulbrook went to on to liberate the lead from Dziurzynski at the Bombhole on the same lap - well timed because the red flags would soon be flying to bring a slightly early end to proceedings after Culley's car shed a rear wheel and came to rest in an awkward spot on the exit to the Russell chicane.

Fulbrook took the win, his first of the season, by a shade less than a second from Dziurzynski; it was Adrian's best result since his second place at Oulton Park at the start of the 2007 season. Perry came home third and Taylor, perhaps fortunate the race had been curtailed, fourth.

The top three were unanimous that it had been a fantastic battle: 'It was the best race I have ever had,' said Fulbrook. 'I was hanging back a bit waiting for something to happen to the cars in front, but nothing much did, so I thought I had better put the hammer down. The car was superb, all credit to my team.'

'It was awesome,' agreed Dziurzynski, 'and it is great to be back on the podium again…'

Seventeen-year-old James Griffiths put in another mature drive in his Golf GTI, lifting sixth from the experienced hands of Steve Chaplin at Riches on the eighth lap; he was promoted to fifth by Culley's demise, with Chaplin's 'Herbie' Beetle taking sixth ahead of the Golf GTIs of Mike Kurton and Liam Griffin.

Doug Ross scored his best-ever result with ninth in his Polo and Giles Lock streaked to 10th in the Classic Caddy TDI, ahead of the Beetles of Nick Dunn and championship returnee Steve Dorrell. Among the unhappy non-finishers was erstwhile championship leader James Walker, whose turbo blew.

Race two was no less dramatic, not least for Taylor, who tried another straight-through-the-middle manoeuvre from the second row of the grid. Unfortunately for Paul he chose to go for a small gap which was getting smaller by the tenth of the second as front-row men Griffiths and Chaplin moved together, and the three cars collided with an almighty bump. Both Taylor and Griffiths were forced to the pits for lengthy repairs; Chaplin continued in second place as Perry took advantage of the drama to claim a handsome early lead.

A lengthy Safety Car period, brought about after the cars of Dziurzynski and Walker touched on the Revett straight on the third lap as they disputed fourth, and Adrian piled off into the barriers, shaped the course of the race in more ways than one. Perry's useful lead over Fulbrook was wiped by it and then, at the restart, Jamie's Golf failed him. 'The driveshaft just snapped,' said a disappointed Perry, 'and I fear it could have cost me the championship.'

Thus Fulbrook inherited the lead and, with Chaplin and Walker squabbling over second place, staying out front was a relatively easy task for Joe. He won by half a second and profited further still thanks to playing his points-doubling Joker card. 'We lucked out a bit in that one,' said Fulbrook. 'A few people didn't make the start and some fell by the wayside… But my car was awesome.'

Chaplin was passed by Walker on the penultimate lap but fought back to second by the end to equal his and Herbie's best-ever Racing Cup result. Griffin, new to the championship this season, claimed an excellent fourth in the Addison Lee Golf, with Mr Consistent Kurton doing his championship hopes further good with another top-five finish.

Naked ambition drove Lock to sixth place, his and his old Caddy's best-ever result, with Dunn seventh ahead of Dorrell, Michael McInerney's Europcar Golf and Chris Adams in the Golf TDI 4motion. Eleventh and claiming his second race finish of the day - in only his second saloon car race - was Autosport.com journalist Glenn Freeman at the wheel of the new Jetta TSI Sport.

The results of Snetterton race two remain provisional pending further investigation of on-track incidents by officials.

The Volkswagen Racing Cup in association with Hankook is additionally supported by Augustus Martin, Castrol, Ceva Logistics, ECM Vehicle Delivery, Milltek Sport, Mondial Assistance, KW Automotive, Superchips, Turbo Dynamics, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles and Volkswagen Financial Services UK.

Rockingham wins for Walker and Perry as Caddy Shines

2008-05-26T11:31:00Z

Another two names were added to the Volkswagen Racing Cup 2008 winner list today (Monday), with Golf drivers James Walker and Jamie Perry claiming a victory apiece at Rockingham Motor Speedway on a day beset by changeable weather and tricky tyre choices.

Walker's win in his Golf TDI - the first for a turbodiesel in the Hankook-backed championship since 2006 - promotes the Nottinghamshire youngster to the top of the points standings. Less than 20 points covers the championship top four in what is proving to be a highly unpredictable and competitive season.

Heavy rain blighted Sunday's qualifying session but played right into the hands of the Dziurzynski brothers, who laid claim to the front row of the grid with a virtuoso performance in the atrocious conditions. Younger sibling Adrian and his Golf GTI took the pole with a time a tenth better than that of Alex's Corrado. Third fastest time went to Paul Taylor and his R32 Golf, more than 1.7s adrift.

A wet but drying track and a cloudy, threatening sky presented the field with a tyre choice dilemma on Monday morning. The brothers Dziurzynski called it wrong and opted for wet Hankooks, while Taylor and others gambled correctly on slicks. Oulton Park race victor Paul took command of the race through Turn 1 and was quick to build a healthy lead as the Dziurzynskis faded.

Adrian's Golf held on in second for four laps; it was not his tyres which ended his run, in fact, but engine problems. He ceded second to Perry on lap five (of 13), Jamie enjoying a superb run in his Keith Garages-backed Force 10 Golf GTI after starting from 16th. Tenth by the end of the opening lap, Perry's slick-shod machine made further gains on each successive lap.

Perry had James Walker right in his wheeltracks, and their battle for second became a tussle for the lead with three laps to go when Taylor slipped back and into their clutches as the result of a slowly deflating front tyre. Walker first found a way past his more experienced rival Perry at the Tarzan hairpin on lap seven, then missed a gear and was repassed before finally managing to make the move stick two laps later.

Walker - who was contesting only his third saloon car race - took his Chek Whyte Industries-backed Golf to a 2.1s victory and was delighted: 'My tyres came in perfectly after about three laps and then it was a great fight with Jamie… I'm really pleased.'

Third and fourth went respectively to Joe Fulbrook (Bora) and Martyn Culley (Vento VR6), both of whom had started from the back. They fought tooth and nail with each other, and with Peter Whyinny's Caddy TDI, throughout the closing laps. Wyhinny's hopes of taking fourth ended at the Brook chicane on the final lap when Culley biffed the van out of his way, but despite a subsequent stall SEAT boss Peter managed to recover in time to claim fifth.

James Walker's father, Richard, had looked a safe bet for at least third place in his V6 Golf until engine gremlins set in towards the end; he hung on to take sixth ahead of promising 17-year-old James Griffiths, who was having his maiden outing at the wheel of his new Golf GTI. Nick Dunn picked his way through the field to take eighth (from 21st on the grid) in his Beetle, with Taylor limping home ninth ahead of the Golfs of John Quartermaine and Mike Kurton. Sam Maher-Loughnan's hobbling wet-tyred Polo placed 12th.

It was wetter on Monday afternoon for the second race - perfect weather for Hankook wets, in fact. Problem was, there were those on the grid who opted for slicks or a slick/wet combination, like Taylor, who rocketed off row five to take the lead into Turn 1.

Perry meanwhile, with a full set of wets on board, shot away from the third row similarly quickly to take away top spot from Taylor into the second corner, the Deene hairpin. It was a masterly manoeuvre from Jamie, who went on to make the best of his tyres while he could, in the early laps, to build a lead of in excess of 12 seconds.

Taylor soon found he couldn't make his tyre combination work and slid back down the order as the wet-tyred cars, notably those of Fulbrook, Wyhinny and Alex Dziurzynski, came to the fore. This trio kept the bedraggled spectators on their toes for lap after lap as they swapped places, with Wyhinny driving like a man possessed as he fought to thrust the Caddy between the Bora and Corrado. Peter made it up to second on the seventh lap and then banged in fastest lap after fastest lap, sensing that Perry's lead was there to be demolished.

Jamie knew he was in trouble: 'The tyre choice was a really tough call. I went for full wets and they were great early on but I knew they wouldn't last. It was really scary seeing the van bearing down on me…'

The Caddy latched on to the Golf's tail entering the final lap and Wyhinny tried everything to find a way past. Perry had just enough grip left in his tyres to hang on for victory by four-tenths, however. Wyhinny was far from downcast at having achieved the Caddy's best-ever finish: 'That was the best time of my life,' he said, 'completely exhilarating.'

Alex Dziurzynski made up for his first-race disappointment with third place, and Fulbrook snatched back fourth from James Walker on the final lap. Kurton placed sixth ahead of Griffiths, Taylor, Maher-Loughnan, Paul Lloyd-Roach's Beetle, Quartermaine and Dunn. Car magazine journalist Ben Barry, who spun out of his race debut earlier in the day, placed 16th in the Europcar Golf GTI.

There's less than a fortnight before the championship contenders have again to be battle-ready: rounds five and six of the 14-race series take place at the Snetterton circuit in Norfolk over the weekend of 7/8 June.

AmD Essex / uk-mkivs.net R32 Takes Championship Lead

2008-03-25T14:08:00Z

The dire Easter weather tried but failed to dampen the excitement of the opening rounds of the Volkswagen Racing Cup today (Monday) at Oulton Park, with spectators enjoying two enthralling battles against the elements by a quality field.

There were surprises galore - including two podium finishes for the entertaining Caddy TDI, its best-ever results - a tactically brilliant race win for Steve Wood and his Hankook-shod Golf GTI, and a dominant second-race victory in the snow for Paul Taylor's AmD Technik Golf R32.

"An improved exhaust system from Milltek and a matching AmD Technik remap really gave the R32 a new lease of life. The car was just perfect and with further improvements from AmD Essex in the pipeline we are looking strong for the championship", said Taylor.

Oulton Park was also notable for the world racing debut of the Jetta TSI Sport. The 1.4-litre turbocharged and supercharged saloon was raced by evo editor Jethro Bovingdon, who scored an excellent 10th-place finish despite a spin in race one and then stole through to fifth in race two.

A steady downpour of sleet was the pre-race one welcome for drivers and the unseasonable weather gave many a tyre-choice dilemma. Alex Dziurzynski, whose Corrado upset the formbook in Saturday's qualifying to nab pole position by eight-hundredths of a second, opted to start the race on slick Hankooks, as did Taylor, alongside him on the front row in his Golf R32. Among those opting for wet-weather rubber were Wood, who figured that starting from seventh on the grid he had little to lose by gambling.

It proved to be a brilliant choice by Wood, whose Travis Perkins-backed Golf GTI overhauled five cars on the opening lap and then deposed the fast-starting Taylor from the lead the next time around. Paul had an advantage with his car's four-wheel drive but nonetheless found the going tricky, and Dziurzynski was managing literally to keep a loose grip on third.

A two-lap safety car period, brought about when John Quartermaine crashed his Golf into the Old Hall Corner tyre wall, gave Wood another lucky break. With the track drying rapidly his grooved Hankooks were beginning to suffer; the reduced pace of the safety car laps were just what he needed to preserve them.

At the restart Wood blasted away once more from his pursuers and on to a 4.9-second win over Taylor. It was his first race victory since 2006 and was due entirely to tyre choice, he said: 'I made a late choice to switch to wets and thankfully it was the right call. They lasted really well.' Taylor reckoned that if the race had been a couple of laps longer there might have been a different result: 'As the track dried my car was getting quicker and quicker, but I just ran out of laps'

The Easter weather was even more unkind in race two, with bright pre-event sunshine lulling all on to slick tyres. The heavens opened after only three laps and the sleet flurries not only made the track treacherously slippy but also reduced visibility dramatically. The red flags were flown to halt the race after just five laps, before a serious accident spoiled proceedings.

It was AmDs' Taylor who made the best start and whose four-wheel-drive Taylor Heating-backed Golf was best suited to the conditions. Paul sliced through to the front from row three of the grid well before reaching the first corner, Old Hall, and sped effortlessly into the middle distance.

This leaves Taylor, who has uk-mkivs support this year, with a 12 point championship lead and the next round will be on the 26th May at Rockingham, Northants.

1 Paul Taylor 88
2 Joe Fulbrook 76
3 James Walker 76
4 Steve Wood 70
5 Steve Chaplin 68
6 Mike Kurton 64

Links:
AmD Technik
Volkswagen Racing Cup
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Volkswagen Racing Cup Provisional Calendar for 2008

2007-12-11T19:17:00Z

The provisional calendar for upcoming 2008 Volkswagen Racing Cup has been released. Set to include an extra two rounds, taking the total up to 14, the championship will once again be the chief saloon-race support to the British Formula 3 and British GT Championships, and as in previous seasons will boast extensive Sky Sports TV coverage.

Rounds 1 & 2 - 24 March at Oulton Park, Cheshire
Rounds 3 & 4 - 26 May at Rockingham, Northants
Rounds 5 & 6 - 8 June at Snetterton, Norfolk
Rounds 7 & 8 - 29 June at Thruxton, Hampshire
Rounds 9 & 10 - 13 July at Brands Hatch, Kent
Rounds 11 & 12 - 17 August at Silverstone, Northants
Rounds 13 & 14 - 21 September at Donington Park, Leicestershire

The expansion to 14 races marks the coming of age of the series, believes championship manager Melissa Wright of Volkswagen Racing UK: 'In 2001 the Volkswagen Racing Cup pioneered the concept of the "compact championship" for time-poor drivers, with 12 races spread over just six weekends. Now, after seven seasons, we think the series has grown enough to add a new competitive dimension. It's something the drivers have requested and we are pleased to offer it.'

The move is being welcomed by teams: 'Each of the Volkswagen Racing Cup weekends is a very enjoyable event,' says Dave Turner, whose team won three races in 2007, 'and an extra one during the season will be warmly received, I'm sure. It will mean more work for us but a championship always needs to change and move forwards.'

The Volkswagen Racing Cup will kick off at Oulton Park's Easter meeting alongside British GT and F3 and will feature rounds at Rockingham, Snetterton, Thruxton, Brands Hatch and Silverstone ahead of a September finale at Donington Park.

In keeping with the championship's policy of technical rule stability, Wright says there are very few changes in the pipeline for 2008. One new feature will be to allow one of the championship's mainstay models, the Beetle RSI, to adopt Volkswagen's 3.2-litre V6 engine. Beetle driver Darren Blumson successfully trialled a 3.2-equipped car at the end of the '07 season and a number of drivers are expected to follow his lead.

'Interest in the championship for 2008 is running high,' says Wright. 'We are receiving enquiries from many drivers new to Volkswagen racing, as well as from the long-time supporters. There are several new cars either in build or being sourced: it's all very encouraging.'

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