NEWS RELEASE: 5 AUGUST 2012

ONSLOW-COLE AND FULBROOK ON TOP AT SNETTERTON

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On a weekend when the championship frontrunners did not enjoy the best of outings, two new names were added at Snetterton today to the roster of 2012 race winners in the APR Volkswagen Racing Cup. One was that of BTCC star Tom Onslow-Cole, who made a memorable debut in the series in a Scirocco R, and the other was Joe Fulbrook, the 2008 and ’09 champion, whose venerable Bora collected the 13th victory of its career.

Qualifying
With thunderstorms severely affecting Saturday’s track action at Snetterton, Racing Cup qualifying was postponed to Sunday morning and, in sunny and dry conditions, Joe Fulbrook collected his first pole of the season thanks to engine electronics work which appears to have cured his car’s season-long ills.

Onslow-Cole, who signed up to race a KPM Scirocco as practice for next weekend’s Snetterton BTCC rounds, was second fastest, 0.170s down on Fulbrook, with another championship debutant, 16-year-old Mini racer Henry Gilbert, a remarkable third in a Team HARD Golf GTI.

Round 9
Under threatening skies and spots of rain the first of the day’s races suffered an aborted first start following a string of startline shunts. First to get squeezed into the barriers was young Gilbert, and he was followed in short order by the Golfs of Philip Morris and Nikhil Chopra; all three cars were eliminated from the weekend by the incidents, which necessitated a stoppage for barrier repairs.

The second start saw Fulbrook haring away from the pole once again, pursued by Onslow-Cole, who attacked several times around the twisty infield and again on to the Bentley Straight before finally finding a way around the Warranty Direct Bora through the Nelson right-hander.

Fulbrook chased for all he was worth, but with the race shortened to a 10-minute sprint following the stoppage, Joe had little time or opportunity to regroup and attack.

Behind the protagonists for the lead there was a three-way battle for third between Stewart Lines’ KPM Golf, Aaron Mason’s AWM Golf and championship leader James Walker’s KPM Scirocco. The fight was effectively settled in favour of Lines when Mason and Walker made contact, both suffering suspension damage which blunted their pace.

Onslow-Cole crossed the line 3.6 ahead of Fulbrook, with Lines third, a further six seconds adrift. Mason was just behind for fourth, with Walker dropping well back towards the end to collect fifth – his lowest finish of the season – ahead of the sister Scirocco of Craig Milner.

“It was a tough race,” said Onslow-Cole. “Joe was hard to get past and I couldn’t shake him off…”

“I think my car was quicker in a straight line,” added Fulbrook, “but Tom drove well and fair play to him for a good win. The Bora is going a lot better this weekend and handling well too.”

Richard Morgan’s SlideSports Golf GTI placed seventh, just ahead of the SEAT Leon Cupra of Peter Wyhinny, with Paul Dehadray ninth to score his best result of his rookie season and AWM’s Simon Tomlinson rounding out the top 10 in his Golf.

Jim Cartwright started 23rd in his Golf after a clash with another car in qualifying and battled through to 11th despite mismatched dampers, ahead of Jonathan Wilson in 12th. Wilson’s son, Tom, fell by the wayside early on in the restarted race with a puncture while holding sixth.

Championship second place man Mike Neuhoff took the opportunity during the race stoppage to switch to wet-weather tyres; alas for him the rains did not come until the slowing down lap; he finished 18th.

Another BTCC man making his Racing Cup debut was Rob Austin; his experience was not as profitable as Onslow-Cole’s and ended in retirement after only two laps with mechanical problems.

Round 10
Fulbrook bounced back to take a fine win in the second race of the day at Snetterton as tyre choice proved crucial in difficult conditions. There was a rain shower before the off, but the track had started to dry as the cars made their way to the grid. The result was a mix of tyre choices, with most – including most of the KPM Racing squad – electing for wets while others gambled on slick rubber.

A great start from row two by Lines allowed him to take the lead, but he was soon under pressure from fellow wet-shod runner Onslow-Cole. The race one winner moved through from row three and took the lead at the end of the opening lap after Lines ran wide at Murrays.

Onslow-Cole’s KPM Scirocco edged away initially, but he was then quickly reeled in by those on more suitable rubber. First Mason went forward to challenge before Fulbrook and Tom Wilson moved to the front. Both had started on slicks, but whereas Fulbrook had bided his time in fourth in the opening laps, Wilson had been on a charge from row 10, a legacy of his first-race retirement.

Fulbrook’s Bora hit the front after four laps with Wilson’s Complete Racing Golf GTI closing in. The Westcountry youngster took the lead on the run to Riches at the start of lap six and looked in control as the duo quickly pulled away from the rest.

Fulbrook wouldn’t let Tom get away, though, and he retook the lead back with just over two laps to go. Wilson remained close, but the experienced Fulbrook held on to win by 0.464s. “It was a bit hairy to start with,” said the former champion. “That was hard going, but it was a matter of being patient, and they all kept getting slower. I really wanted to win and Tom’s good to race with.”

It was Fulbrook’s 13th championship race victory over an eight-season span, and Joe is now just one win behind Paul Taylor in the all-time rankings.

Wilson’s second place was his first podium finish, and it was agonisingly close to being a maiden win. “I was pretty certain about choosing slicks and I thought we would win, but Joe’s a good driver,” he said.

Almost half a minute behind came a tough battle for the final podium place. Mason and Onslow-Cole fought it out initially before Cartwright – after starting from row six on slicks – snatched third on the penultimate tour. “The front of the car got rearranged a little bit,” admitted Cartwright of the fierce scrapping. “There were bits of car everywhere, but it was an awesome race.”

Mason was fourth, just holding off Onslow-Cole by a tenth. Having fallen as low as sixth at one point with his worn wets, the BTCC driver managed to repass Lines for fifth on the last lap to complete a fine first weekend in the series.

Jonathan Wilson’s Complete Racing Scirocco wasn’t far behind sixth-placed Lines to collect his best finish of the year to date, while Neuhoff finished ninth, behind Craig Milner, from 18th on the grid. Wyhinny rounded out the top 10, ahead of Simon Andrews and championship leader Walker, who started on the front row but fell back straight away. Nonetheless, with only four races remaining, Walker maintains an 84-point championship lead.