Neuhoff Heads Bumper Entry for VW Racing
Cup
26
March 2004
The 2001 Volkswagen Racing Cup champion, Michael Neuhoff, is to return
to the championship in a bid to regain his crown.
Neuhoff, 33, announced his late entry today (Fri) and plans to be on
the grid for the opening rounds next Sunday (4 Apr) at Donington Park
in a newly built Corrado with a 2.9-litre VR6 engine.
"After a season away I'm really looking forward to it," said
Northants-based Neuhoff. "Saxon Motorsport have built the car
and, though I've yet to drive it, it sounds like a potential race-winner."
Michael won six rounds of the championship in 2001 in a Beetle RSi
to take the title, and the following season made British motorsport
history when he drove a turbodiesel Golf to twin wins at Thruxton.
Volkswagen Racing UK managing director Sam Roach said: "It's fantastic
to see Michael back; I am sure that he's going to be very competitive.
We now have more than 31 cars registered for the championship, and
more on the way for later in the season, so all the signs are that
this will be the best year yet for the Volkswagen Racing Cup.
The Volkswagen Racing Cup moves into motor sport's fast lane in 2004,
joining the British Formula 3 Championship and the British GT Championship
on their roster of events. There will be two Cup races at each
of six high-profile GT/F3 meetings, taking in top tracks such as
Donington
Park, Brands Hatch and Thruxton.
Neuhoff will face some stiff opposition. Last year's champion, Rob
Carvell, returns to the fray with a new car, a 1.8 Scirocco GTI,
replacing the hugely successful Mk I Golf GTI with which he won the
title in
2003 (and which his younger brother, Ian, raced to the crown the
previous year). The Carvells' giant-killing Mk I Golf lives on, meanwhile,
in
the hands of the first female Volkswagen Racing Cup competitor, Claire
Tippet, who will make her debut at Donington.
Shaun Hollamby, a double race winner last year and the championship
fourth-place finisher, returns for another crack in his mighty Big
Boys Toys 2.8 Beetle RSi, and there will be further Beetle battlers
in the shape of Ray MacDowall, Philip House, Dave Turner and Paul
Dukes, as well as TV motoring show presenter Jason Barlow, who will
pilot
the Europcar Bug. Martin Rutherford's car has adopted 1.8 turbo power
this year.
The newest car at Donington will be the Mk V Golf - unveiled last
week -which will feature turbodiesel power and a variety of guest
drivers
during the season. Autocar's Chris Harris is lined up to pilot it
at Donington.
In all, three diesel Golfs will grace the grid - Lloyd Allard, grandson
of Britain's first Monte Carlo Rally winner, Sidney Allard, drives
one and BP-backed Canadian Mark Thomas the other. There will even
be a diesel-powered Caddy van.
Other championship entries include Mark Smith's rapid Bora 1.8 Turbo,
the Mk IV Golf Turbos of Steve Walker and Craig Inskip, Ken Lark's
Corrado, the mighty little Polo G40 of Jonny Moore, and the Golf
R32 supercar, handled this season by Europcar's Michael McInerney.
All five versions of Golf are expected at Donington: several Mk II
and Mk III versions are expected to complete the family outing, and
there will also be a selection of Vento VR6s in action.
The Cup this season also has its first father-and-son pairing:
Martyn and Barrie Culley, Vento VR6 drivers both.
See 2004 series calendar
for VW
Racing Cup
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