Brands Battle in Store for VW Racing Cup Rivals

21 July 2005

A capacity grid of 30 cars is expected at Brands Hatch next weekend (30/31 July) for the ninth and 10th rounds of the Volkswagen Racing Cup, Britain's best-supported saloon racing championship.

Heading the entry is points leader and reigning champion Philip House. The North Yorkshireman and his Beetle RSi are expected to face stiff opposition from local hero Shaun Hollamby, whose Golf R32 has won five times already this season.

Chelsfield-based Hollamby, who trails House by 34 points in the title chase, believes he should go well on his home circuit: 'We are doing a lot of work to improve the Golf's handling following feedback from Mark Sumpter [former British GT Champion] who tested it recently.

'But it's going to be incredibly close, with six or seven cars within a tenth of a second. I'm expecting Dan Thackeray to be among the quickest.'

Sixteen-year-old Thackeray, from Buntingford, gave Hollamby a hard time at Castle Combe last month until the engine problems which have blighted his season brought his Corrado to a halt. 'Dan is exceptionally quick,' said Shaun. 'I believe that he could win a race at Brands if his car holds together.'

There will be a couple of new faces in action also. BARC Formula Renault frontrunner David Scott (Heathfield) will be swapping his single-seater for a Polo TDI for the weekend. When not on the track himself, Scott works as a wind-tunnel technician with the Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team.

It's not Scott's first Racing Cup outing: last year he drove a Caddy TDI to a remarkable ninth at Donington Park. He's sponsored by Eurovans of Eastbourne.

Meanwhile, a motor sport dream will come true at Brands for a lucky reader of Car magazine. Graham Needham, from Lincoln, entered a competition in his favourite motoring magazine to win a race at the wheel of the newly developed Volkswagen Racing UK-prepared Golf GTI.

Previously driven to top-eight race finishes by Car journalists, the GTI is one of the quickest cars in the field. Track novice Graham, 40, can't wait: 'I'm like a kid at Christmas, absolutely thrilled, but I have no unrealistic expectations. What I want to do is to get on the grid at Brands knowing that I have done everything possible to prepare for the experience. Everything after that is a bonus.'

Needham, who had to answer a quiz question correctly and then finish on top in an autotest with five rivals, won a four-day race-training course at Silverstone to prepare him for his competition debut.

Also preparing for Brands Hatch are the season's other Volkswagen Racing Cup race winners - Berkshire driver Joe Fulbrook, whose Bora Turbo finished on top at Knockhill, and Northiam's Craig Inskip, who drove his Golf Turbo to victory at Donington. Both men will be keen to mount the top step of the podium once more.

Also in action will be championship frontrunners Mark Smith (Hednesford) and Martyn Culley (Basingstoke), respectively at the wheel of Bora and Vento VR6, and a host of Volkswagens ranging in size from the Lupo GTI of Reading's Mark Hope to the astonishingly rapid Caddy TDI of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles director Peter Wyhinny.

In between are machines ranging in vintage from Aylesbury-based Claire Tippet's venerable Mk I Golf GTI to the Mk V Golf TDI of Exeter's Rob Palmer and a host of New Beetles, including those of Europcar-backed Michael McInerney, Paul Lloyd-Roach (Isle of Man), Jason Marino (Wokingham), Martin Rutherford (Little Chalfont), Dave Turner (Stonehouse), Steve Dorrell (Speen) and Les Latham (Kirkby Mallory). Wayside-backed driver Ken Lark (Peters Green) and Exeter's Alex Dziurzynski will join Thackeray in the Corrado club.

The Volkswagen Racing Cup enjoys the support of Augustus Martin, Castrol, ECM Vehicle Delivery, Europcar, Experian, Inchcape Automotive, ISG Occupancy, Milltek Sport, Mondial Assistance, Pirelli, Proximity London, KW Automotive, Superchips, TNT Logistics, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles and Volkswagen Financial Services UK.

See 2005 series calendar for VW Racing Cup

Related Story 28.06.2005 - Claire Tippet: Smokin in VW Cup at Castle Combe