VW Racing Cup Grid Strenghtened Yet Further
03 March 2006
Reigning Diesel Cup holder Lloyd Allard and sports car champion Tony
Gilham are the latest drivers to sign to contest the Volkswagen Racing
Cup.
Allard, grandson of sports car and Monte Carlo Rally legend Sidney
Allard, will return to the championship at the wheel of the Golf TDI
which he drove to fourth overall - and top diesel - in 2005.
Gilham, meanwhile, joins the series fresh from outright victory in
the 750 Motor Club's MR2 championship. Tony has bought a car with pedigree
with which to contest the Volkswagen Racing Cup: the Beetle RSi driven
to championship victory two years in a row by Philip House.
'It's a big step up for me,' says Gilham, 26 and from Swanley, Kent,
'and a steep learning curve, but hopefully I'll be somewhere towards
the front.' Tony's Beetle will be prepared by Regal Autosport.
Allard is one of four drivers so far to declare their intention to
run TDI-powered cars; Rob Palmer will also contest the Diesel Cup with
a Golf TDI while Peter Wyhinny and Giles Lock will be in turbodiesel
Caddy racers.
Lloyd, 31 and from Cheltenham, believes his late-season 2005 form
- two podium finishes in the closing rounds at Snetterton - is an indication
of his likely pace: 'Snetterton was a good sign of how much the car
has been developed. We are happy with the power and torque now and we
are primed and ready to go.'
Allard's Golf will be one of four cars fielded by Gloucestershire's
Allard Turner Motorsport, under the direction of Dave Turner. Another
of the quartet will be Turner's 20-year-old son, Jamie, who will make
his championship debut in a Golf VR6. ATMR has also prepared new Golf
GTIs for Steve Wood and Mike Kurton.
Other drivers to have signed to the championship in recent days include
father-and-son Vento VR6 pilots Barrie and Martyn Culley and Devon-based
brothers Alex and Didge Dziurzynski, who will return with their West
End Precision-prepared Corrado and Golf GTI. Isle of Man-based driver
Paul Lloyd-Roach will tackle another season in his Zeema-prepared Beetle,
while veteran saloon ace John Quartermaine plans to return with his
2-litre Golf.
The Volkswagen Racing Cup in association with Hankook, which is the
sole regular saloon-race support to the British F3 and British GT Championships,
gets underway at Oulton Park at Easter.
The championship enjoys the additional support of Augustus Martin,
Castrol, ECM Vehicle Delivery, Europcar, Experian, Inchcape Automotive,
ISG Occupancy, Milltek Sport, Mondial Assistance, Proximity London,
KW Automotive, Superchips, TNT Logistics, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles
and Volkswagen Financial Services UK.
See 2006 series calendar for VW
Racing Cup
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Secures Backing for VW Cup Title Bid
