NEWS RELEASE: 8 SEPTEMBER 2012

DEPPER DEFTLY DOES IT AT SILVERSTONE

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Martin Depper became the ninth different race winner of the 2012 APR Volkswagen Racing Cup season today at Silverstone, the Birmingham driver making an impressive championship debut at the wheel of a KPM-prepared Scirocco to lead nearly all the way.

Former Mini racing champion Depper qualified the Scirocco on pole by a six-tenth margin from former double champion Joe Fulbrook and saw off an early challenge from the Bora driver to take command on the opening lap of the race.

Depper and Fulbrook both made superb starts from the front row, with Joe attacking into Copse and running alongside Martin towards Becketts before nosing in front. Depper responded with a slick manoeuvre into the tight left-hander at Village to regain the lead, however, and by lap’s end was 0.7s up.

Behind Fulbrook for third was Simon Andrews, who made a rocketship getaway from 11th on the grid in his DSG semi-automatic Golf GTI. “I think some people were a bit surprised by me at the start,” said Andrews, “but I wasn’t, because this track really suits my car and it always makes great starts off the line here.”

Fulbrook kept well in touch with the leader until the fourth lap, when the Bora peeled into the pits after a turbo pipe blew off. That promoted another fast-starter, Jim Cartwright, to second. The Golf man had started P8 and was on Andrews’ tail in fourth by the end of the opening lap. He demoted Simon from third on lap two and then found himself second with Fulbrook’s demise.

By this stage Depper was 5.7s clear and in no danger of losing his debut win. Martin was delighted: “That’s not a bad start… It’s one of the best cars I’ve ever driven and we get on great. We have a brilliant set-up which is working all the way around here; it’s pretty picture-perfect really. I’m looking forward to tomorrow and hopefully to doing more of the Volkswagen Racing Cup in 2013.”

Cartwright’s second place came under attack towards the end from championship leader James Walker, who had battled up from sixth after the start in his KPM Scirocco. The two Jameses circulated nose to tail for several laps with Walker sizing up a pass but allowing discretion to get the better part of valour to secure a KPM 1-2-3 and maintain his hopes of clinching the championship title tomorrow.

Said Walker: “It was a great race. I have to say bad luck to Joe – we were never going to catch him; really Jim and I were racing for third place. I got a good start but then lost a few places on the opening lap, then managed to fight back slowly and then caught Jim. I could have put a bit of a move on Jim but I had my mind on the championship.”

Truck-racing champion Chris Levett, returning to the championship after a two-meeting break, scored his best finish of the year with fourth in his SlideSports Golf, passing his team-mate Kieran Griffin (Scirocco) and Andrews early on.

Griffin posted fifth place on his first outing since his Rockingham crash, ahead of championship returnee Peter Felix, who drove like a man inspired to sixth after practice problems left him 23rd on the grid.

Tom Wilson battled understeer in his Complete Racing Golf to claim seventh ahead of Andrews, with Stewart Lines fighting through from the very back of the grid to an excellent ninth at the flag. KPM’s mechanics had had to replace Stewart’s engine in the four hours between qualifying and race.

Richard Morgan brought his Golf home 10th ahead of the SEAT of Peter Wyhinny, Craig Milner’s Scirocco and the Team HARD Golfs of Andy Wilmot and Nikhil Chopra, the latter another back-row starter. Jonathan Wilson completed the top 15 in his Scirocco.

There were disappointments for championship top-six men Mike Neuhoff and Aaron Mason, Mike sidelined by a loose throttle pedal on the opening lap and Mason hobbled by a down-on-power engine which left him 18th at the line. Others out of luck were Golf-driving youngsters Jack Walker-Tulley and Henry Gilbert, both of whom suffered mechanical dramas early on.