Category: News items

NEWS RELEASE 19 OCTOBER 2015

The 2015 Milltek Sport Volkswagen Racing Cup Champion, Aaron Mason, enjoyed mixed fortunes at his prize-drive weekend at the Hockenheimring in Germany over the weekend, suffering damage which brought about an early exit from the first race before he climbed from the back of the grid in race two to secure a respectable finishing position.

Mason was representing the VW Cup at the final rounds of the DTM German touring car season for the third year in succession, on this occasion at the wheel of one of the 310bhp lightweight sports cars contesting the season-closing races in the Audi Sport TT Cup.

Mason, 36, steadily improved his pace throughout the weekend: in Friday’s free practice session he posted 20th best time of the 23 contenders and was 20th again in qualifying to give him a 10th-row grid slot for Saturday’s race. Unfortunately his first outing ended after just half a lap at the Spitzkehre hairpin, where contact with another car resulted in front suspension damage.

That meant a back-of-grid start for Sunday’s fog-delayed finale but Mason was more than up to the challenge, gaining four places on the opening lap and finishing 17th after a long tussle with German TV race commentator Patrick Simon.

“The first race was a bit of a disaster, really,” said Aaron, “and not a great experience. They were very cagey about showing me the data from the accident. In my own mind I had a good three car-lengths in which to brake to make sure that I got around the corner, because I was well aware that I was up to the top 10 by this point. But I just couldn’t stop the car…

“The TV footage makes it look like I was going up the inside to try to make up positions but in actual fact it was me looking for a bit more tarmac to try to get the car slowed down. Unfortunately the impact caused quite a lot of damage.

“Race two went well until about three laps in and the tyres got warm, and then the car became a bit of handful, skating about and rolling from one side to the other. So we struggled a bit but nonetheless it was a great experience and I enjoyed driving the TT, which is a good car. It was a great prize and I’m very grateful for the opportunity.”

Doncaster-based Mason clinched the Milltek Sport Volkswagen Racing Cup championship title at Donington Park in September, beating 24-year-old Lucas Orrock to the crown by four points having taken one race win and three further podium finishes from the season’s 16 races at the wheel of his AWM Motorsport Scirocco R.

NEWS RELEASE 18 SEPTEMBER 2015

For the third year in a row, Aaron Mason is to represent the Milltek Sport Volkswagen Racing Cup at Hockenheim in Germany and race at the final rounds of the DTM German touring car season. This year the VW Cup Champion will be at the wheel of one of the 310bhp lightweight sports cars contesting the season-closing races in the Audi Sport TT Cup over the weekend of 16-18 October.

Mason, 36, is no stranger to the former German Grand Prix track. He first raced at Hockenheim in the Scirocco R Cup in 2013 after winning his first Volkswagen Racing Cup title, and last year he deputised for the driver who succeeded him as VW Cup champion, Joe Fulbrook.

He’s looking forward to his return, not least because the Audi Sport TT Cup has a double-header race format and he will get twice the race mileage: “It’s good news and it’s certainly put a smile on my face. I’m enthusiastic to drive one of the Audis – it’s a bit more like a race car so I’m hoping that it will be a good experience.

“It’s not an easy weekend because tyres are limited, and when you don’t know the car or the circuit it’s easy to use up all your rubber in testing and have nothing left for qualifying and racing. The quick guys who know what they are doing test the car for 10 minutes and then park it, so they have fresh tyres for the competition. So a newcomer is up against it slightly.”

Doncaster-based Mason won the Milltek Sport Volkswagen Racing Cup championship title last Sunday (13 September) at Donington Park, beating 24-year-old Lucas Orrock to the crown by four points having taken one race win and three further podium finishes from the season’s 16 races at the wheel of his AWM Motorsport Scirocco R.

At Hockenheim his prize drive – awarded by Audi Sport – will see him at the wheel of a specially developed track version of the Audi TT equipped with a 2.0-litre TFSI turbo powerplant producing 310bhp. A special feature of the cars is the ‘push-to-pass’ turbo boost button which allows drivers a limited number of short power boosts to aid their progress. Aaron will be reunited at Hockenheim with his former VW Cup team-mate Josh Caygill, from Huddersfield, who currently holds a top-six overall placing in the TT Cup.

NEWS RELEASE 13 SEPTEMBER 2015

Pictures for download

Aaron Mason claimed the second Milltek Sport Volkswagen Racing Cup championship title of his seven-year track career this afternoon, an eighth-place finish in the double-length final round enough to secure the crown ahead of Lucas Orrock and season-long points leader David Sutton.

Michael Epps won the race, ahead of his Team HARD running mates Simon Rudd, Robert Barrable, Howard Fuller and Bobby Thompson.

Mason’s championship win was as unexpected as it was pleasurable for 35-year-old Doncaster driver Mason and the AWM Motorsport team. Having been fired out of the lead of the first Donington race by another car, and with his Scirocco’s rattles and bangs growing increasingly insistent as the 40-minute marathon neared its conclusion, Aaron was more relieved than delighted to see the chequered flag.

“I was suffering fuel surge, the tyres were gone, the driveshafts rumbling…” said Aaron. “I was driving a very careful race because I could see other cars getting penalties for track limits, and then it was just a case of managing the car to the end. It just got me home – I’m not too sure how many more laps it would have managed.

“I’m well chuffed. I’ve only won one race this year because we’ve struggled with pace. The only time we’ve done OK is when there hasn’t been too much weight on the car. We’ve spent a lot of the season carrying 50kg and finishing fourth or fifth, and not managing to get the weight reduced. That took its toll in the mid part of the season.

“But it’s all come down to the end, and I suppose that David Sutton had to have some bad luck at some point having been so dominant. It happens to everyone in motorsport – it happened to me this morning when I got taken out. When that happened I thought it was 100 per cent over for me, so it’s amazing to be standing here now as champion.”

Mason’s sole race win came at Brands Hatch in August, but his season-long podium habit kept him in good stead. Aaron is, with 21 career VW Cup victories, the ‘winningest’ driver ever in the championship, but he says he’s not tempted to come back to try to match the three championship victories scored by his friend and team-mate Joe Fulbrook: “I think we’ll leave Joe that glory.”

It was a day to forget for David Sutton, the winner of four races in the season’s first half and the championship leader from Round 1 up until today. Like Mason, Sutton was fired off in the first race and, though he came back well from a P24 start slot to finish race two in 12th, there was just not enough momentum for the SlideSports Scirocco driver to carry him to the title win. Sutton slips to third overall in the championship standings, behind Mason and KPM Scirocco man Lucas Orrock.

The final race was all about Team HARD, whose pole-sitting driver Rudd sped away from the blocks in fine style, pursued by outgoing champion Joe Fulbrook in the Safe & Sound Golf and with Fuller, Philip House (PH Motorsport Scirocco), Jack Walker-Tully (Cooke and Mason Scirocco) and Epps in hot pursuit.

Fulbrook was fading by the sixth lap, however, and Epps – despite carrying 60kg of success ballast – moved up to second and quickly closed on to Rudd’s tail. Michael seized his opportunity to take the lead into the Melbourne Hairpin on lap 12. Said Epps: “I noticed on the first couple of laps that Simon was braking a tad earlier there, so I thought that if I was going to do him anywhere it would be there. He didn’t move over too much so I went for it…”

Rudd was far from beaten, though, and kept Epps honest all the way to the line, even though Simon’s mirrors were full of Barrable’s Golf. Robert drove a storming race from the back of the grid – a legacy of his first-race exclusion – to hit the top 10 by the third lap. It took the Irishman a further eight laps to battle up to third, and he was on to Rudd’s tail soon after. But Simon was more than a match for Robert’s moves, and he held on to second to claim his maiden podium finish.

Epps, Rudd and Barrable crossed the line after 40 minutes of action separated by 1.1 seconds, with Fuller and Thompson close behind for a memorable top-five lock-out by Team HARD. Victor Epps said: “It was a great race and a great battle – it makes all the difference when you are racing your team-mates. When you look in the mirrors and all the cars behind are from Team HARD, it’s such a moment of pride. To come through like this is just phenomenal. My tyres were finished by the end – down to the canvas!”

Added a delighted Rudd: “It was great fun… Honestly the best fun I think I’ve ever had.”

Third-placed Barrable: “I had a great car at the start, which was good because I had a lot of overtaking to do to get up there to the front as quickly as possible in case anyone made a break.”

Lucas Orrock was the first Scirocco man home, sixth to confirm him as championship runner-up for the second year in a row. Said Lucas: “It’s been a good year and we’ve done well to get back to second in the championship. I think I’ve shown that I’m a very consistent driver – we were there fighting for the title in the final race and that says a lot. In general I’m happy.”

Walker-Tully, penalised five seconds for exceeding track limits, finished seventh ahead of Mason and House, with Joe McMillan’s Cobra Engineering Scirocco completing the top 10. Fulbrook was next up ahead of Sutton and Damani Marcano, 13th despite a drive-through penalty and a 10-second penalty for exceeding track limits. Mark Smith (InFront Scirocco) and Phil Morris (KPM Golf) rounded out the top 15, with Tim Snaylam (AWM Scirocco) finishing 16th to claim the Sportsman’s Trophy.

Provisional results Round 16 Donington Park 13/9/15
23 laps / 57.21 miles
1 Michael EPPS / Team HARD Golf 40m 21.704s
2 Simon RUDD / Team HARD Golf +0.596s
3 Robert BARRABLE / Team HARD Golf +1.103s
4 Howard FULLER / Team HARD Golf +3.738s
5 Bobby THOMPSON / Team HARD Golf +6.020s
6 Lucas ORROCK / KPM Scirocco +13.750s
7 Jack WALKER-TULLY / Cooke & Mason Scirocco +14.486s
8 Aaron MASON / AWM Scirocco +15.201s
9 Phil HOUSE / PH Motorsport Scirocco +18.320s
10 Joe McMILLAN / Cobra Engineering Scirocco +19.737s etc
Fastest lap Barrable 1m 43.907s / 86.17mph

Sportsman’s Trophy Tim SNAYLAM / AWM Scirocco

Full results

Provisional final championship standings
1 Mason 524 points; 2 Orrock 520; 3 David Sutton 518; 4 Walker-Tully 504; 5 Joe Fulbrook 498; 6 Epps 470; 7 Fuller 444; 8 House 438; 9 McMillan 406; 10 Thompson 356 etc

NEWS RELEASE 13 SEPTEMBER 2015

Pictures for download

Michael Epps notched up his fourth race victory of the Milltek Sport Volkswagen Racing Cup season at Donington Park this morning, despite his Golf GTI crossing the finish line only in third place… A results exclusion and a time penalty for his Team HARD compatriots Bobby Thompson and Howard Fuller were Epps’s passport to the top step of the podium.

There was first-lap drama for both championship leader David Sutton and his closest title challenger Aaron Mason – both were punted off, with Mason struggling on to the finish in a damaged Scirocco and Sutton retiring to the pits.

There was drama all the way through the race, with Mason taking off at a lick from pole position, closely pursued by Team HARD’s Robert Barrable. As they rounded the Old Hairpin, Barrable attempted a down-the-inside manoeuvre to wrest the lead from Mason; their cars touched and both spun into the gravel. Mason managed to get going again, albeit down in 16th, with Barrable cruising to the pits and retirement. Robert was later excluded from the results for his part in the accident.

Later on the opening lap, the other chief title contender, Sutton, was in the wars also – shunted into a spin as he exited the Melbourne Hairpin by the pursuing Team HARD Golf of Bobby Thompson.

Phil House (PH Motorsport Scirocco) took over in front after the demise of Mason and Barrable but lost out to Team HARD man Howard Fuller on the second lap, just before the warning flags flew and the Safety Car appeared on track to neutralise the race while Simon Tomlinson’s beached Golf was retrieved from another gravel trap.

Fuller held sway at the restart from House, Phil chasing for all his worth for two laps before misjudging his braking into the Melbourne Hairpin on lap seven. “I forgot I was carrying 60kg of success ballast!” said House. “I got excited and took my usual braking point rather than braking earlier like I should have. It’s a shame but it was brilliant fun out there.” House slipped to fifth as a result of his lock-up.

Fuller’s next opponent was Thompson, who narrowed Howard’s lead from 1.2s to a tenth going into the penultimate lap. Bobby nosed ahead at Coppice only to lose out at the Esses, Fuller then holding the lead all the way around the final lap until the final hairpin, where he took a wide line and Thompson nipped through on the inside to cross the line in front of Fuller by a whisker. Epps took the finish third with House fourth.

The results did not stand, however… Thompson was excluded from the race for his part in the lap-one incident with Sutton, and his team-mate Fuller was docked five seconds for exceeding track limits. When the dust settled it was therefore Epps who claimed the victory, his fourth of the season, with House second and Fuller in third.

“We were all on the edge out there,” said Epps. “Overall I’m really happy with my race; glad I was able to hold on to the front guys because I had 60kg of ballast on board and they had nothing. Around the corners that’s a big difference. It’s a shame for Bobby and Howard, but that’s what happens.”

Lucas Orrock, carrying a heavy success ballast load, duelled with Joe Fulbrook for the duration of the race. KPM Scirocco driver Orrock was aiming for fifth or sixth – which would have given him a front-row start for the reverse-grid race – but with Thompson’s exclusion was bumped up to fourth, with Safe and Sound Golf GTI driver Fulbrook, the outgoing champion, close behind for fifth.

Said Lucas: “That was a bit of a crazy race. I knew going in that I didn’t have a lot of pace and that the best way to get points was by being smart and aiming for sixth and pole in the second race, then develop things from there. I wasn’t going to fight anyone tooth and nail for any positions in that one.”

Team HARD’s Simon Rudd claimed his best finish of the season in sixth, ahead of Jack Tully’s Cooke and Mason Scirocco; Walker-Tully was another to be docked five seconds for exceeding track limits. After his first-lap off, Mason battled through to finish eighth.

Ninth, for his best finish of the year and the Sportsman’s Trophy, was Philip Morris in his KPM Golf. “That was brilliant,” said Philip. “I held on to the leading pack well in the first part of the race and then my tyres went off. What makes the younger drivers better than me is that they manage their tyres better, and mine went off for the last three laps. Something to think about for the 40-minute race…”

Another season-best result went the way of Mark Smith, 10th in the InFront Motorsport Scirocco, ahead of a trio of 5sec-penalised drivers: Joe McMillan, Simon Andrews and Pete Littler. Sixteen-year-old Damani Marcano, who impressed in qualifying to set 10th-fastest time, lost a number of places on the opening lap but battled back to 14th at the line for Team HARD. Championship returnee Cameron Thompson completed the top 15 in his Maximum Motorsport Scirocco.

The scene is set for a dramatic three-way shoot-out for the championship title between Sutton, Mason and Orrock. With dropped scores taken into account, Sutton has a two-point lead over Mason with Orrock a further eight points behind.

Provisional results Round 15 Donington Park 13/9/15  amended
11 laps / 27.36 miles
1 Michael EPPS / Team HARD Golf 20m 48.681s / 78.77mph
2 Phil HOUSE / PH Motorsport Scirocco +1.344s
3 Howard FULLER / Team HARD Golf +4.528s
4 Lucas ORROCK / KPM Scirocco +6.423s
5 Joe FULBROOK / Safe & Sound Golf +6.752s
6 Simon RUDD / Team HARD Golf +8.493s
7 Jack WALKER-TULLY / Cooke & Mason Scirocco +8.628s
8 Aaron MASON / AWM Scirocco +12.360s
9 Philip MORRIS / KPM Golf +21.895s
10 Mark SMITH / InFront Scirocco +23.910s etc
Fastest lap Walker-Tully 1m 43.985s / 86.11mph

Sportsman’s Trophy MORRIS

Full results

Provisional championship standings
1 Mason 524 points; 2 Orrock 512; 3 David Sutton 498; 4 Fulbrook 476; 5 Walker-Tully 474; 6 House 436; 7 Epps 430; 8 Fuller 408; 9 Joe McMillan 392; 10 Bobby Thompson 322 etc

NEWS RELEASE 12 SEPTEMBER 2015

Championship second-place man Aaron Mason did his hopes of a second Milltek Sport Volkswagen Racing Cup title no harm at all at Donington Park this afternoon, topping qualifying for tomorrow’s final races by more than a quarter of a second.

Mason, who has won seven of the last 10 VW Cup races held at Donington, hustled his AWM Scirocco to top spot with a lap of 1m 43.751s. He was the only driver to break the 1m 44s barrier around the 2.49-mile Donington Grand Prix circuit. With pole comes two championship points, Mason narrowing David Sutton’s points lead going into the final pair of races to just two…

Said Aaron: “It looks like we’ve not lost any pace around here! To be fair, I was a bit lucky. For the first five laps of the session I couldn’t get any heat into the rear tyres and I was struggling. Luckily I just managed to get one clear lap and get the time in. By the time the tyres were fully up to temperature there was too much traffic.”

Sutton set fifth-best time today, he and Mason sandwiching a trio of Team HARD Golf drivers – Robert Barrable, Bobby Thompson and Howard Fuller. Said SlideSports Scirocco man David: “P5 is OK. I was being cautious and making sure that I didn’t exceed the track limits. We’ll be all right for the races.”

Phil House completed the qualifying top six with his PH Motorsport Scirocco, just head of the third of the five title-bidders, Jack Walker-Tully. “I’d like to be a bit higher up but we softened off the suspension and maybe it wasn’t the right thing to do,” said Jack. “It will make for an interesting race tomorrow.”

Three more Team HARD men completed the top 10: Michael Epps, Simon Rudd and 16-year-old Damani Marcano eighth, ninth and 10th respectively, with championship third-place man Lucas Orrock 11th for KPM and reigning champion Joe Fulbrook 12th.

Said Lucas: “It wasn’t a very good session for us. When the tyres were at their best I was sat trying to overtake people. Not a very well engineered session on my part and we are struggling for pace anyway. Put those things together and that’s where we sit. It will be a hard race from there.”

Added Fulbrook: “There was no grip out there… I think the car could have done mid-1m 44s, and that should have put me around seventh.”

The first of tomorrow’s VW Cup races is set for 1035, and the 40-minute marathon finale follows at 1655.

Provisional qualifying times Donington Park 12 September 2015
1 Aaron MASON AWM Golf 1:43.751
2 Robert BARRABLE Team HARD Golf 1:44.028
3 Bobby THOMPSON Team HARD Golf 1:44.048
4 Howard FULLER Team HARD Golf 1:44.080
5 David SUTTON SlideSports Scirocco 1:44.324
6 Phil HOUSE PH Motorsport Scirocco 1:44.441
7 Jack WALKER-TULLY Cooke & Mason Scirocco 1:44.478
8 Michael EPPS Team HARD Golf 1:44.602
9 Simon RUDD Team HARD Golf 1:45.048
10 Damani MARCANO Team HARD Golf 1:45.168 etc

Full times

NEWS RELEASE 3 SEPTEMBER 2015

For the fourth year in succession the Milltek Sport Volkswagen Racing Cup will come down to a grand end-of-season shoot-out at Donington Park, with five drivers – two of them former champions – vying for the championship title.

To add spice to proceedings, next Sunday’s final race of the season will be a 40-minute marathon, the longest race ever attempted in the history of the VW Cup, and twice the usual race distance.

Between them, the championship’s famous five have won eight of the 14 races held so far, and they are separated by just 38 points when dropped scores are taken into account, each driver having to shed their single worst result. There are 94 points on the table at Donington and nothing is guaranteed except high excitement…

The contenders are

Championship leader David Sutton, 25, from Rotherham
SlideSports Scirocco
Eighth overall 2013, fifth overall 2014
498 points (lowest score 18): 4 wins, 1x2nd
Success ballast zero

Sutton heads the pack, as he has done all season, with (including dropped scores) a 14-point lead over his nearest rival. A mid-season weight penalty pegged him back following twin wins at Oulton Park and further victories at Rockingham and Silverstone, but he goes to Donington success ballast-free and hoping to maintain the momentum.

Said David: “I would rather the race was this weekend so I could get it over and done with… We shouldn’t be sitting here with a 14-point lead, it should be more like 40 points. But that’s how racing goes. All I can do is to do my best and hopefully we will come out on top. It will be a massive shame for everyone involved if we lose it at the last minute, but I think we’ll be fine. The longer final race shouldn’t be an issue for us; we had a problem at Snetterton with overheating – as soon as I was in a battle with someone the temperature rose and the car slipped into safety mode – but according to the team it’s solved now so there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be fighting at the front at Donington.”

2nd Aaron Mason, 35, from Doncaster
AWM Scirocco
Champion 2013, third overall 2009, 2012
494 points (lowest score 28): 1 win, 2x2nd, 1x3rd
Success ballast zero

Mason clinched the title at Donington two years ago and has an enviable record at the Leicestershire circuit, with seven victories from the 10 VW Cup races held there since 2010… Aaron will also carry no ballast into qualifying and the first Donington race, but with only one win so far this season he is taking nothing for granted:

“There’s no plan… I’ve just got to hope that my car is reliable and see what unfolds. I have a good record at Donington but I’m not sure how things will play out. We have no weight on the car, which is an advantage, but the field is a bit stronger this year – lots of good drivers and good teams – and it’s a question of who can make their car work the best. I’m hoping for a wet race just to mix things up a little.”

3rd Lucas Orrock, 24, from Sawston
KPM Scirocco
Second overall 2014
476 points (lowest score 24): 1x2nd, 3x3rd
Success ballast 56kg

Orrock snatched championship second at Donington last year, his first season of car racing, and has been at or near the front of the pack throughout the season, although race victory has so far eluded him.

Lucas said: “It’s still wide open. On paper it might look as if it’s between David and Aaron but I think we have a realistic chance of winning. There’s 94 points up for grabs and the championship is still very much within our grasp. I’ll be doing everything I can to come away with the win. I’ll let David and Aaron go off and race and be there to pick up the pieces…”

4th= Jack Walker-Tully, 22 from Tuxford
Cooke and Mason Scirocco
15th overall 2014
442 points (lowest score 0): 2 wins, 1x2nd, 1x3rd
Success ballast 40kg

Jack drives the Scirocco in which his cousin James Walker clinched championship victory at Donington in 2012, and he scored his maiden race wins in it at Rockingham in May.

Jack said: “I think the championship is just out of reach for me. The suspension problem I had at Brands Hatch was my downfall, but other than that I’ve had a brilliant season and I’m pleased still to be in the running. We’ll be pushing as hard as we can but I think David and Aaron have no ballast and I have 40kg to start with, and that will be a big factor.”

4th= Joe Fulbrook, 44 from Berkshire
Safe and Sound Golf GTI
Champion 2008, 2009, 2014
442 points (lowest score 0): 1 win, 2x2nd
Success ballast 32kg

The reigning champion may, along with Walker-Tully, have the smallest chance mathematically, but Joe knows how easily titles can slip from a driver’s fingers – in 2007 he had only to finish in the top 15 in the final race to win the title, only for his driveshaft to snap on the startline…

Said Joe: “Winning the championship is not completely out of the question but it will be tough. There’s a 40-minute race and all five of us could struggle to finish that… I’ll be out to try to win the races at Donington, but if I can’t win the championship then hopefully Aaron can and I’ll do whatever I can to help him. It was an exciting finish at Donington last year and hopefully it will be again – anything could happen!”

A 28-car field is expected at Donington Park, with qualifying on Saturday 12 September followed by the two races on the Sunday, either side of the deciding round of the British GT Championship. Motors TV will be showing race two in its entirety the following Monday evening.

Donington Park timetable
Saturday 12 September
1500 qualifying
Sunday 13 September
1035 Round 15: 20 minutes
1655 Round 16: 40 minutes

 

NEWS RELEASE 23 AUGUST 2015

Pictures for download

Like Bobby Thompson in race one of the weekend, Phil House converted pole position into victory in the live televised round 14 but in wildly contrasting circumstances – the PH Motorsport driver never had a second to breathe throughout the half-hour race with Joe McMillan on his tail for the duration.

As the lead duo pulled cleared of the rest, there were never more than a few tenths of a second between the pair across the 14 laps. Trading fastest lap times early on, House and McMillan were incredibly evenly matched in their Sciroccos but House didn’t put a wheel wrong on his way to a win of 0.9 seconds – his first success since the corresponding event at Snetterton in 2013. “It’s been a long time coming, the last time we won was here at Snetterton two years ago,” said House. “I got a bit of a lead, had a good battle with Joe and it was just a case of not getting involved in the tight race behind.”

Second placed McMillan added: “I tried my best but he [House] wasn’t leaving any gaps at all, it was a good race but there was no chance to try to get into the lead. I’m happy to finish behind Phil though, I did all I could.”

While there was no doubt over who the top two finishers would be, any one of half a dozen drivers had an opportunity to complete the round 14 podium with Michael Epps eventually coming through to take third place, 7.6 seconds shy of McMillan.

The battle over the final spot on the podium raged from start to finish. Initially, Joe Fulbrook led the way from third on the grid but Jack Walker-Tully soon made his aspirations clear with a move into Agostini to snatch the place away. Fulbrook hit back on lap three to retake third while, just behind he and Walker-Tully, the order shuffled constantly with Lucas Orrock, Aaron Mason, Thompson, David Sutton, Epps and Robert Barrable all in the mix as part of a true grandstand battle.

Around mid-distance, Fulbrook was able to edge away slightly as Walker-Tully’s challenge hit the skids when he was put marginally out of position into the Bomb Hole, resulting in a slip down to eighth position as the train streamed past.

By lap 10, Epps had made his way through into fourth ahead of Orrock – the latter having set the fastest lap – and on the very next tour Epps made his bid for third into Riches. Successfully sealing the pass into Montreal Hairpin, Epps remained third to the flag on lap 14 to end the race 0.9 seconds clear of Fulbrook and Orrock. “There was quite a lot of bumping in that race, I think I could have got with the top two but I kept getting shuffled back,” explained Epps. “It was a bit like Cadet Karting, we were slipstreaming each other all the time – I’m happy with a podium though.”

Mason claimed sixth, importantly two places ahead of championship leader Sutton, with race one winner Thompson between the two title rivals. Walker-Tully ended up in ninth, seeing off Barrable by just 0.4 seconds. Howard Fuller, meanwhile, survived a wild ride across the grass on the outside of the Bomb Hole on lap eight to finish in 12th position behind Simon Rudd. After Matthew Wilson’s Golf ground to a halt on entry to the corner, an unsighted Fuller just managed to avoid making contact but it did require a dramatic excursion from which he, fortunately, safely rejoined the track.

Series newcomer Andrew Duncan matched his race one performance with 16th position, one place ahead of sole lady racer Laura Tillett – the latter having a frustrating weekend once again, seemingly suffering with a lack of straight-line pace.

Provisional results Round 14 Snetterton 23/8/15
14 laps / 41.56 miles
1 Phil HOUSE / PH Motorsport Scirocco 30m 08.900s / 82.72mph
2 Joe McMILLAN / Cobra Engineering Scirocco +0.904s
3 Michael EPPS / Team HARD Golf +8.520s
4 Joe FULBROOK / Safe & Sound Golf +9.438s
5 Lucas ORROCK / KPM Scirocco +9.644s
6 Aaron MASON / AWM Scirocco +11.309s
7 Bobby THOMPSON / Team HARD Golf +11.876s
8 David SUTTON / SlideSports Scirocco +14.953s
9 Jack WALKER-TULLY / Cooke & Mason Scirocco +16.678s
10 Robert BARRABLE / Team HARD Golf +17.110s etc
Fastest lap Orrock 2m 07.858s / 83.59mph

Sportsman’s Trophy Simon TOMLINSON / AWM Golf

Full results

Provisional championship standings
1 Sutton 498 points; 2 Mason 494; 3 Orrock 476; 4=Walker-Tully & Fulbrook 442; 6 House 396; 7 Epps 386; 8= McMillan & Howard Fuller 370; 10 Thompson 322 etc

NEWS RELEASE 23 AUGUST 2015

Pictures for download

Pole position qualifier Bobby Thompson secured his maiden Milltek Sport Volkswagen Racing Cup victory in style at Snetterton 300 Circuit this morning, the Golf driver dominating Round 13 from lights-to-flag and also smashing the lap record in the process.

With this weekend’s event providing a fresh challenge for the Racing Cup contingent by way of extended 30-minute races, tyre preservation was a key consideration but 18-year-old Team HARD racer Thompson had no such worries as he controlled the race from the front perfectly.

Winning by 6.6 seconds, an unusually large margin in the ultra-competitive championship, his fastest lap of 2m 06.626 seconds (84.40mph) was a full 0.9 seconds inside the previous benchmark held by Aaron Mason. “The biggest thing I was nervous about was the start but we got that right,” said the elated race winner. “When I could see I wouldn’t have to defend at the first corner, I knew I could get a break and that’s how it worked. I said after qualifying, if I could get the lead I would be able to keep it.

“At the start of the race I was pushing hard to try to build the gap. About halfway through I took it easy on the tyres, easy on the car, but I was sure the guys were catching again so I started pushing again. It’s fantastic to win.”

Joining Thompson on the podium were rallying star Robert Barrable, second place marking an excellent result on his first outing with Team HARD and, of course, a team one-two, while Jack Walker-Tully put his nightmare Brands Hatch weekend behind him with a fantastic third.

Walker-Tully, carrying 40kg of success ballast, was the highest placed of the lead five championship contenders, one place ahead of Joe Fulbrook, while Mason – second in the points coming into Snetterton – took eighth with the full 60kg of success ballast in his Scirocco.

Championship leader David Sutton had to work his way through the order from the back of the grid as a result of missing qualifying due to his attendance at a wedding, and eventually took the chequered flag in 11th position – a gain of 11 places. The result still keeps Sutton at the top of the driver standings, but only by a reduced eight points from Mason.

Making an almost faultless start from pole, Thompson had already built a near two second advantage after the opening lap as a huge battle raged over second place with Fulbrook working unbelievably hard to keep Walker-Tully, Phil House, Joe McMillan and Barrable at bay.

Walker-Tully moved up into second on lap two but he wasn’t able to close the gap to the race leader with Fulbrook and the rest of the lead pack all determined to have a say. Barrable, working his way through impressively from seventh at the start, came fully into the picture on lap three at Agostini with a good pass on Fulbrook and he set about challenging Walker-Tully. At Montreal on lap four, the Irishman took his chance to move through and he was able gradually to edge clear on his way to a strong second. Walker-Tully did chip away by fractions mid-race, but Barrable was able to see off any potential threat comfortably.

“I had the gap measured to Jack, I was relaxed and I could see Joe and McMillan were dicing behind so it was all OK,” reflected Barrable. “The longer race is just a mind over matter thing, don’t get me wrong it’s hard work but no problems for us. New car, new team, new track for me – it’s great to be second and to have a one-two for Team HARD.”

Walker-Tully said: “I got a great start, got a couple of places straight away, but then I just let Robert go – he was catching me and he was too fast. I did manage to hold on to him, which was really good, and I’m just happy to have the car back working well – Brands Hatch was an absolute disaster with suspension failure. I’m really happy for the team, being back on the podium is massive for us.”

Third for Walker-Tully was by no means secure with Fulbrook and the ever-present McMillan heading a very tightly packed group including House and Lucas Orrock. McMillan moved into fourth on lap seven at Montreal but a slight mistake for the Scirocco racer at Oggies on lap nine enabled Fulbrook to make the most of the slipstream to the Esses – where he duly reclaimed fourth.

Despite his mirrors being filled by McMillan to the finish on lap 15, Fulbrook held on impressively with House completing the top six. Michael Epps, from ninth on the grid, took seventh ahead of Mason with Simon Rudd ninth – despite a five-second track limits penalty – and Orrock, who lost pace over the final few laps, slipped to 10th spot.

Championship debutant Andrew Duncan, at 57 the oldest driver in the field, took 16th position on his maiden outing with the Safe & Sound squad in a Scirocco, while category mainstay Tim Snaylam, who finished in 13th place, was awarded the Sportsman’s Trophy.

Milltek Sport Volkswagen Racing Cup
Provisional results Round 13 Snetterton 23/8/15
15 laps / 44.53 miles
1 Bobby THOMPSON / Team HARD Golf 32m 06.543s / 83.21mph
2 Robert BARRABLE / Team HARD Golf +6.642s
3 Jack WALKER-TULLY / Cooke & Mason Scirocco +9.844s
4 Joe FULBROOK / Safe & Sound Golf +10.990s
5 Joe McMILLAN / Cobra Engineering Scirocco +11.478s
6 Phil HOUSE / PH Motorsport Scirocco +11.934s
7 Michael EPPS / Team HARD Golf +13.509s
8 Aaron MASON / AWM Scirocco +21.473s
9 Simon RUDD / Team HARD Golf +28.433s
10 Lucas ORROCK / KPM Scirocco +31.371s etc
Fastest lap Thompson 2m 06.626s / 84.40mph Rec

Sportsman’s Trophy Tim SNAYLAM / AWM Scirocco

Full results

Provisional championship standings
1 David Sutton 470 points; 2 Mason 462; 3 Orrock 440; 4 Walker-Tully 416; 5 Fulbrook 406; 6 House 352; 7 Fuller 350; 8 Epps 348; 9 McMillan 330; 10 Thompson 292 etc

NEWS RELEASE 22 AUGUST 2015

Bobby Thompson scored his maiden qualifying top spot in the Milltek Sport Volkswagen Racing Cup this evening at Snetterton, and will start tomorrow’s 13th round from pole position in his Team HARD Golf GTI.

Thompson lapped the Snetterton 300 circuit in 2m 07.020s, a tenth of a second quicker than reigning champion Joe Fulbrook, who bounced back from his Brands Hatch crash in fine style thanks to sterling work from the Safe and Sound team crew. Wisbech racer Joe McMillan was third fastest in the Cobra Engineering Scirocco, ahead of Phil House and Jack Walker-Tully in their Sciroccos.

The first of tomorrow’s VW Cup races at Snetterton is scheduled for 0950 and the second – screened live on Motors TV – is due off at 1415.

Provisional qualifying times Snetterton 22 August 2015
1 Bobby THOMPSON Team HARD Golf 2m 07.020s
2 Joe FULBROOK Safe & Sound Golf 2m 07.127s
3 Joe McMILLAN Cobra Engineering Scirocco 2m 07.417s
4 Phil HOUSE PH Motorsport Scirocco 2m 07.424s
5 Jack WALKER-TULLY Cooke & Mason Scirocco 2m 07.490s
6 Lucas ORROCK KPM Scirocco 2m 07.649s
7 Robert BARRABLE Team HARD Golf 2m 07.843s
8 Aaron MASON AWM Golf 2m 07.961s
9 Michael EPPS Team HARD Golf 2m 07.982s
10 Simon RUDD Team HARD Golf 2m 08.122s etc

Full times