Pictured: Fulbrook passes Gilbert for the Round 4 lead. Click to open hi-res version

NEWS RELEASE: 6 MAY 2013

NEW CAR, MORE SUCCESS: FULBROOK WINS AT ROCKINGHAM TO CLAIM SERIES LEAD

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The AWM Motorsport/Warranty Direct team enjoyed a brilliant day in the sunshine at Rockingham today, Aaron Mason and his Scirocco winning the first of the APR Volkswagen Racing Cup events and his team-mate Joe Fulbrook taking the honours in the second at the wheel of his newly built Golf GTI.

It was a milestone day for Fulbrook in more ways than one: it was the first time the former champion had raced anything other than the Bora in which he debuted in the championship in 2005, his win was a record-equalling career 14th, was his first at Rockingham, and it also puts him into a slender overall championship lead.

Round 3
The second victory of the season for Mason and his new-for-2013 Scirocco came from pole position, the Doncaster driver making an impeccable getaway to lead into Turn 1 and make clear his intentions. Aaron’s plan had been to blast away and establish an early, unapproachable lead; it didn’t work out quite that way, however, and he had to battle every inch of the race’s 26 miles to ensure that he reached the chequered flag ahead.

Once the dust of the opening lap had settled, Mason’s biggest concern was the Scirocco of former double champion Philip House, up to second from fifth on the grid. “I got a great start,” said Yorkshireman Phil. “I wanted to make sure that I split up Mason and Fulbrook so they couldn’t tow each other around.”

House and Martin Depper (KPM Scirocco) passed Fulbrook more or less simultaneously through Yentwood/Chapman Curve. “I made a decent start and was following Joe,” said Depper, “and then I think he missed a gear and I was able to slot in underneath. Then I looked across and saw Philip coming past me – he had a cracking start. It was an awesome first lap.”

Worse was to come for Fulbrook at the next turn, Pif-Paf, where his Golf GTI found itself bumped down several places further after a hit from reigning champion James Walker’s Golf. “I got sent a long way off track,” said Joe, whose demotion to 16th set the scene for a dramatic fight back.

The Scirocco trio of Mason, House and Depper were locked in combat to the flag but were too evenly matched to battle closely, finishing in that order separated by 3.5s. “It was a good race,” said victor Mason, “but the car felt slow to me; there didn’t seem to be much grip out there. The guys behind me were pushing hard and banging in some quick laps. It was a good clean race and I played my Joker card, so it’s all good.”

Didge Dziurzynski was another fast-starter, the Manchester-based Golf Mk IV racer slotting into fifth on the opening lap, from 12th on the grid. He improved to fourth with a pass on David Sutton’s Golf on lap three but lacked the legs to take the battle to the leading trio and was fourth at the line.

Fulbrook’s early dramas certainly fired him up; within two laps his new Golf, which was making its race debut, had claimed back six places to 10th, and by lap six Joe was up to seventh and right on the tail of the Golf of 17-year-old Henry Gilbert. A superb battle ensued between them, and the Scirocco of fifth-placed Stewart Lines. Fulbrook lifted sixth from Gilbert at Kirby on lap seven only to be repassed, but he managed to make a move stick into Deene the next time around.

An ambitious lunge around the outside of Lines into Deene on lap nine did not pay off for Fulbrook but he secured fifth place with a dive down Lines’s inside at Tarzan on the next lap. Joe set a new lap record during his charge through the field.

Lines lost sixth to Gilbert on the penultimate lap. “I had a great battle with Joe and Henry,” said Stewart, “and I really enjoyed it, even if they did beat me…” It was Henry’s best-yet finish in the Volkswagen Racing Cup.

Tom Barley scored his best result of the season with eighth in his Team HARD Golf, three seconds clear of his team-mate Andy Wilmot. Oulton podium man Jim Cartwright was 10th in the Coverworld Golf, up from 16th on the grid after suffering handling issues in qualifying.

Ross Wylie, who arrived at Rockingham fresh from an impressive 10th-place finish on Saturday at Hockenheim on his debut in Germany’s Scirocco R-Cup, took 11th in his SlideSports Scirocco, complaining of balance issues and the success balance entailed by his victory at Oulton Park last month.

David Sutton battled a mysterious loss of power to bring his Team HARD Golf home 12th ahead of Kieran Griffin’s JWB Scirocco, Simon Tomlinson’s Golf and the Golf GTI of racing debutant Graham Perkins. Philip Morris’s KPM Golf was 16th, just ahead of another newly-built car, the Scirocco of Robin Riley.

There were several retirements in the 27-car field, including the Golfs of James Walker (brakes) and Paul Wyhinny (turbo). Chris Levett’s run of bad luck continued with his JWB Scirocco suffering gearbox issues.

Round 4
His sixth place in race one meant Henry Gilbert started a VW Cup race from pole position for the first time, and the Leicestershire lad converted his advantage into an early lead thanks to a very good start. He ran wide into the Tarzan hairpin, however, and was pushed back to third by Fulbrook – who had started alongside – and Mason, up from sixth on the grid.

Among those Mason had passed on his way up to second was Didge Dziurzynski, and it spurred him and his Mk IV Golf into action; Didge set fastest lap of the race in his pursuit and then passed Mason on the inside of the Deene hairpin on lap three. Aaron got him back but, next time around, Dziurzynski repeated his earlier Deene manoeuvre and managed to make it stick this time.

Didge kept a watching brief on Fulbrook but was unable to attack for the lead. Instead he found himself under renewed pressure from Mason, who battled past up Dziurzynski’s inside into Tarzan on lap seven. All this squabbling allowed Fulbrook to extend his lead to nearly two seconds, which was just as well as a gearbox glitch was beginning to hamper his performance.

On lap eight, Dziurzynski managed to repass Mason but Aaron’s bid to respond ended in contact at Brook, with Didge nerfed off the track and on to the grass. By the time he regained the tarmac, Dziurzynski was down in 11th. The incident cost Mason time also; he slipped to third as Lines and his KPM Scirocco took advantage of the fracas to nip through.

Lines defended his second place from Mason with vigour to the end of the race, and had a sniff of victory as Fulbrook started to struggle even more with his gearbox. At the line, Joe was less than a second ahead and was very relieved: “I had but of an issue to contend with towards the end,” said Fulbrook, “and lost all the time I had gained. But I knew that if I could just keep it flat out around the banking then I should be all right. The new Golf has been great right out of the box – I don’t think I’ll be going back to the Bora…”

Lines was delighted with second (a personal best) and also contrite after a first-corner misunderstanding with his team-mate Depper which sent Martin to the pits for bodywork attention and a lonely 23rd-place finish three laps in arrears. “We came together in the first bend,” said Stewart. “It was unfortunate but I think he’ll be OK about it once he calms down. I had to work hard for that result: I was watching Aaron and Didge scrapping and I knew they were going to come together. When they did I took my chance.”

Wilmot drove a good race, making up several spots on the opening lap and then passing Gilbert for fifth on lap two. That became a personal-best fourth for Andy when Dziurzynski left the track.

House took fifth and Gilbert was once again sixth, getting the better of a battle with Wylie. Chris Levett at last broke his duck for the season with a great charge through from the back of the grid to eighth in the JWB Scirocco, with Walker performing similar feats to secure ninth.

Tom Barley was 10th on the road but later excluded from the results after his Golf was found underweight. That promoted Dziurzynski to 10th ahead of father-and-son racers Paul and Peter Wyhinny, both of whom were going much better following mechanical dramas in race one.

Simon Tomlinson claimed his best of the season so far with 13th and novice Perkins went one better with 14th, just ahead of David Fairbrother’s Pall-Ex Scirocco, another of the recovering first-race casualties.

The APR Volkswagen Racing Cup resumes its campaign at Silverstone in three weeks. Further backing for the championship comes from ECM, CEVA, Hankook, Milltek, Paragon and Prestige Performance Centre.