Easter Excitement for Volkswagen Racers

06 April 2006

Britain’s best-supported saloon car championship, the Volkswagen Racing Cup, blasts back into action over Easter and looks set to enjoy another superbly competitive season, with new cars being built to compete and many old favourites returning to the grid.

The opening rounds of the championship, which is organised in association with Hankook, take place at Oulton Park in Cheshire on Easter Monday (17 Apr).

A switch to Hankook slick tyres for 2006 means that levels of grip and spectator excitement will be on the increase, while the championship’s status as the sole saloon car support event at all the British F3/GT UK headline meetings underlines its growing popularity.

Volkswagen Racing UK director Sam Roach expects a thrilling season: ‘With our champion of the last two seasons, Phil House, moving on, the way is clear for a new driver to emerge on top. But with the talent that is lining up, I’m not brave enough to predict who it will be.’

Among the early season favourites are three race winners from 2005 – Craig Inskip, Joe Fulbrook and Paul Taylor. Inskip returns for a fifth straight season with his turbocharged Golf GTI, keen to add to the maiden race victory he scored last year, while Fulbrook, who impressed by winning in first season of motor sport, will be back at the wheel of his potent 1.8T Bora. Former Stock Hatch Champion Taylor, meanwhile, showed with his double win at Snetterton in September that his ex-Shaun Hollamby Golf R32 will be a major threat.

Steve Wood and Michael Kurton are teaming up to campaign a brace of new Golf GTIs. They have joined forces with Allard Turner Motor Racing, the Gloucestershire -based Volkswagen specialist. Wood has two years experience in the Volkswagen Racing Cup and was a winner at Thruxton in 2004. ATMR will also field a Golf VR6 for Jamie Turner and Lloyd Allard’s Diesel Cup-winning Golf TDI.

Ranged against Allard for top diesel honours will be former rally star Rob Palmer with his beautifully prepared Mk V Golf, and the amazing Caddy vans of Peter Wyhinny and Giles Lock.

As ever, there will be a host of Beetles on the grid, including a turbo version for Citygate-backed Martin Rutherford and RSi models for Paul Lloyd-Roach, Steve Dorrell, reigning MR2 Champion Tony Gilham, Jonny Moore and 17-year-old Darelle Wilson. One of last year’s Beetle racers, Michael McInerney, returns this season at the wheel of a Mk V Golf GTI backed by Europcar.

The newest car on the grid will be the Polo GTI – so new, it is not even on sale yet in the UK… The 210 PS, 1.8-litre turbo-engined hot hatch is being given its world motorsport debut.

Ken Lark, a multiple race winner over the years, will start his season at the wheel of his trusty Corrado VR6 but plans later to switch to a newly prepared Golf. Brothers Alex (Corrado) and Didge Dziurzynski (Golf GTI) return, as do father and son racers Barrie and Martyn Culley with their venerable Vento VR6s.

There will be Golfs of various ages and power, meanwhile, for Andrew Smith, Tony Harberman and John Quartermaine.

The Volkswagen Racing Cup calendar is the finest ever put together for Britain’s best-supported saloon car championship.

With 12 races at six meetings – all supporting British F3/British GT – and with a star date on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit, the ’06 calendar offers competitors a superb package, says Sam Roach.

‘It’s the very best calendar the Volkswagen Racing Cup has ever had,’ adds Roach, ‘and we are honoured that our championship is to be the sole saloon car supporting event on all the F3/GT headline events. It’s an indication of the strength of the championship and the high regard in which it is held.’

Each of the six planned dates – at Oulton Park, Donington Park, Snetterton, Brands Hatch, Silverstone and Thruxton – will feature two Volkswagen Racing Cup events, a total of 12 championship rounds.

‘Twin races and six meetings is the format which has helped the championship grow to such an amazing extent over the last six seasons, and is very popular with time-poor competitors,’ Roach points out. Last year the Volkswagen Racing Cup enjoyed an average grid size of 29 cars – making it the most popular manufacturer-backed saloon series in Britain.

The Volkswagen Racing Cup in association with Hankook enjoys the additional support of Augustus Martin, Castrol, ECM Vehicle Delivery, Europcar, Experian, 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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