Category: News items

NEWS RELEASE 6 FEBRUARY 2015

Live television is to be added to the impressive array of attractions of the Milltek Sport Volkswagen Racing Cup in 2015, it is announced today. Five of the championship’s seven race meetings will feature live coverage on the Motors TV channel, in addition to post-produced highlights shows on Motors TV and Channel 4.

Welcoming Motors TV’s live cameras to the VW Cup, championship manager Matt Walker said: “This is a major advance for the best-supported one-make race series in Britain. Live coverage on Motors TV will be great for competitors and their sponsors, and will we hope add to the already large spectator following that the championship enjoys.”

The Rockingham, Silverstone, Brands Hatch and Snetterton races will be carried live on Motors TV, as will September’s championship finale at Donington Park. All these events will also be the subject of highlights shows on Motors TV and Channel 4. The Oulton Park and Spa-Francorchamps meetings will be shown in highlights form only.

The UK’s leading motorsport TV production company, HayFisher, will be the driving force behind the coverage. HayFisher MD Richard Hay said: “We are delighted to be bringing live TV coverage to the Milltek Sport Volkswagen Racing Cup in 2015. We have successfully filmed the championship for 12 seasons and it has proved a hugely popular feature on both Motors TV and on Channel 4.”

Motors TV is available to Freeview HD, YouView, TalkTalk, Sky and Virgin Media customers. Together, these platforms account for roughly 20 million UK households.

The Milltek Sport Volkswagen Racing Cup is the regular supporting series to the British GT Championship, featuring alongside the UK’s leading sports car championship at all of its events. Bernadette Fitzsimons, of British GT promoter SRO, said: “The Volkswagen Racing Cup is a long-term and important support series and we are delighted that it will again be alongside us in the paddock in 2015, and that like British GT it will be gaining an additional audience through live TV this season.”

The opening rounds of the Milltek Sport Volkswagen Racing Cup take place at Oulton Park over the Easter weekend (4-6 April). This season will see 16 races decide the championship outcome, with longer races planned for the Spa, Snetterton and Donington Park events.

NEWS RELEASE 5 FEBRUARY 2015

This year’s Milltek Sport Volkswagen Racing Cup is to feature a new competition aimed at encouraging the ‘gentleman driver’.

Called the RacingLine Sportsman’s Trophy, it will be awarded in each of the championship’s 16 races to the best-placed driver meeting the following criteria:

• Aged 35 or over
• A regular competitor in the Volkswagen Racing Cup during the 2013 and 2014 seasons who did not finish inside the top seven in either year

If one of the eligible drivers finishes in the top seven this season, winning the Sportsman’s Trophy in the process, he or she will be ineligible to win it again.

Championship manager Matt Walker said: “We are very pleased to be introducing the Sportsman’s Trophy to the Milltek Sport Volkswagen Racing Cup for 2015. There are 11 drivers who will be eligible to win the cup at every race, so it will provide an additional prize that a third of the grid can aim for.”

The opening rounds of the Milltek Sport Volkswagen Racing Cup take place at Oulton Park over the Easter weekend (4-6 April). This season will see 16 races decide the championship outcome, with longer races planned for the Spa, Snetterton and Donington Park events.

NEWS RELEASE 9 JANUARY 2015

In 2015 the Milltek Sport Volkswagen Racing Cup will feature more races, and longer events, than ever seen in its 15-season history. Although the championship will retain its popular seven-meeting format – all rounds will support the prestigious British GT Championship – there will be a total of 16 scoring rounds.

The first two meetings of the season, at Oulton Park and Rockingham, will each feature three 20-minute races, with two races at each subsequent event. The races at the Belgian Grand Prix circuit of Spa are increased to 25 minutes, with the Snetterton rounds extended to 30 minutes apiece.

The sting will be in the tail: the 16th and final race of the year, at Donington in September, will be double the usual length – a 40-minute enduro which will test reliability – and fuel consumption – to the limit.

“Competitors asked for more track time, but they didn’t want an additional race meeting with all that that would entail in terms of expense and time away from home,” said championship manager Matt Walker. “So we have added a couple of extra races and lengthened those at some of the more interesting circuits, and we hope that it will further enhance the attractiveness of the championship to competitors seeking value for money.”

Provisional calendar
4-6 Apr Oulton Park 3x20min races
2/3 May Rockingham 3x20min races
30/31 May Silverstone 2x20min races
10/11 Jul Spa-Francorchamps 2x25min races
1/2 Aug Brands Hatch 2x20min races
22/23 Aug Snetterton 2x30min races
12/13 Sep Donington Park 20min & 40min races

NEWS RELEASE 5 JANUARY 2015

The Milltek Sport Volkswagen Racing Cup is on pole position for the coming season with a lively stand at this week’s (8-11 January) Autosport International racing car show at Birmingham’s NEC.

Pride of place on the Volkswagen Racing UK stand (number 2600) will go to the first new-generation Beetle to be developed for racing. Developed by brothers Pete and Andrew Smith, the new track challenger to the Scirocco R and Golf GTI will be unveiled on Thursday.

Volkswagen Racing UK will also display its Golf R Safety Car, which in addition to leading the parade laps at VW Cup events also showcases the company’s technological and performance tweaks, including VWR engine mounts, R600 intake and coilover suspension; 19×8.5in wheels, VWR/Milltek exhaust system, quick shift and 360mm monobloc big brakes.

The stand will also boast a large display of Volkswagen Racing UK merchandise.

Championship personnel will be on hand throughout the show’s four days to discuss the coming season, technical and sporting regulations and to offer car and technical advice to established and prospective competitors.

Said championship manager Matt Walker: “The 2014 Milltek Sport Volkswagen Racing Cup season was a record-breaker in every respect and we look forward to building on that success next season with some excitingly fresh ideas, full grids and, as ever, close and competitive racing.”

Full details of the championship calendar and format are scheduled for unveiling at the Autosport show.