Pictured: Philip House, Round 7 victor. Click to open hi-resolution version

NEWS RELEASE: 16 JUNE 2013

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HOUSE AND WYLIE CLAIM THE VICTORIES AT SNETTERTON

Ross Wylie more than regained his form in the APR Volkswagen Racing Cup today at Snetterton, claiming a win and a second place in the day’s races at the wheel of his SlideSports Scirocco. In fact, the Scotsman was unlucky not to have taken two victories – a last-corner fuel crisis was the only thing stopping him. Former double champion Phil House was the other Snetterton victor, taking his first win of the season in his PH Motorsport Scirocco.

Championship leader Aaron Mason bounced back from a qualifying crash to net a brace of podium results and maintain his points advantage, with David Sutton the day’s other podium finisher.

Round 7
After a dominant performance in qualifying, in which Wylie secured pole position by a half-second margin, the 21-year-old Dumfries driver, who was playing his points-doubling Joker card, proceeded to show a clean pair of wheels in the first Snetterton race. By the end of the opening lap the SlideSports Scirocco was half a second clear of his only real challenger, House in the PH Motorsport Scirocco.

The front-row pair had made a pre-race pact to work together to build an early lead and then dispute the victory between themselves in the closing stages, and in the final three laps the gloves came off as House tried his utmost to close on to Wylie’s tail. “We discussed things beforehand and agreed to try to get a nice gap and then play later on,” said Philip. “I was waiting until the end because I could see where he was stronger than me, mostly on the straights, whereas I seemed to have the legs on him on the infield. I was pushing hard where I could.”

Cruelly for Ross, his bid to secure a second win of the season came unstuck within sight of the chequered flag. As he turned into the Murrays chicane his Scirocco spluttered and coughed as his fuel ran low… It was enough of an opening for House to nip through on his inside to claim his first win since his last championship-winning season in 2005.

A deflated Wylie said from the second step of the podium: “I don’t really know what the problem was. It was the same as at Silverstone, a sudden loss of power at the last corner…” Added House: “I feel so sorry for Ross. I have been in that situation before myself and there’s nothing worse.”

Behind the leaders the battle for third was being fought just as keenly between Golf-driving youngsters Jack Walker-Tulley and Henry Gilbert. Jack started fifth, a place behind Henry, after his best-yet qualifying performance and stole the advantage on the opening lap. Gilbert regained third position two laps later and they duelled for a further five laps before Aaron Mason joined the party in his Scirocco.

Mason had started 16th after a high-speed shunt in qualifying, his AWM Motorsport/Warranty Direct team working long into the night to repair the frontal damage to his Scirocco. Despite understeer, Mason gained seven places on the opening lap and was up to fifth by lap three. He latched on to Walker-Tulley’s tail on lap seven and secured fourth from him next time around.

A better exit from Murrays on lap eight gave Mason a slingshot down the Senna straight and the opportunity to drive around the outside of Gilbert at Riches to nab third from the 17-year-old. “My qualifying accident was a big impact,” said Aaron, “so I was lucky to be on the grid at all, and all credit to the team for the hard work they put in to get me there. The car felt good apart from a bit of understeer, and I had to drive around that a bit.”

Although he missed out on his first VW Cup podium, Gilbert took a personal best with fourth and 20-year-old Walker-Tulley a deserved best-yet finish in fifth.

Martin Depper was another to fall foul of a slippery track in qualifying and went off at Riches, like Mason, albeit with less damage to his KPM Scirocco. Martin started 15th and did well to battle through to sixth by the chequered flag to secure pole position for race two.

David Sutton got the better of a battle for seventh with Joe Fulbrook’s Warranty Direct Golf, Fulbrook surviving a hefty impact from Sutton’s Team HARD Golf when the latter locked up and slid into him, with Team HARD men Andy Wilmot and Tom Barley competing the top 10, the latter happy just to finish after an early brush with another car which ripped the front bumper from his Golf.

Paul Wyhinny deputised successfully for the father, Peter, in the SEAT Leon to take 11th, just ahead of Josh Caygill, who lost four places as he limped around the last lap-and-a-half with a severe fuel leak. Craig Milner, Graham Perkins and Kieran Griffin completed the top 15.

There were dramas for several, including David Fairbrother in the Pall-Ex Scirocco, who after a great start spun at the Montreal hairpin on the first lap before battling back to 18th; Paul Dehadray, whose progress to 22nd was delayed by a pit visit after a puncture; and for championship debutant Sam Morgan, just 16, who was also forced into the pits when his Team HARD Golf suffered an electronics glitch. Sam was last man home in 23rd. Poor Stewart Lines couldn’t start his KPM Scirocco pre-race and joined in half a lap late; 21st was a poor reward after a strong qualifying performance netted him what should have been third on the grid.

Round 8
If luck was unkind to Wylie in race one, balance was restored in the second Snetterton race, which Ross won by the narrowest of margins from Mason thanks to Aaron striking trouble at the very same corner that had troubled Wylie earlier.

It was Depper who led initially from the pole, with Wylie making a rocketship start from fifth on the grid to slot into second ahead of Mason and Sutton, another fast starter from P7. Ross found his way into the lead past Depper into Riches at the start of lap three, and unfortunately Martin’s race did not last much longer – in his pursuit of the new leader Depper clipped a marker post which holed his radiator and leaked water on to his tyres, causing a spin at Oggies.

Depper’s demise promoted Mason to second and, on new tyres and with his Scirocco’s handling much improved, Aaron set about the leader. He passed Wylie through Coram on lap four and for two laps looked set fair for his fifth race victory of the season.

But just as Wylie had struck trouble at Murrays in race one, so did Mason: on the sixth lap he lost control in the tight left-hander, spun 180 degrees and allowed Wylie back into the lead. Worse was to follow: as he regained the circuit, Mason came back on track in front of an unsighted Henry Gilbert, who ploughed into the back of the Scirocco, badly damaging his Golf.

Mason continued more or less unhindered, managing to regain second along the Senna straight from Sutton on lap eight. Aaron closed on to Wylie’s tail at the end but Ross was able to cling on in front to win by just 0.7s.

“That makes up for this morning,” said Wylie. “I’m absolutely delighted with that; I got a good start, which was important, and made it through to second and built on that. It was a bit unfortunate for Aaron, because I don’t think I had the pace to live with him otherwise.”

“I just lost it in the corner,” said Mason of his spin. “We changed the car from the first race and I had a lot more grip; as the tyre pressures came up during the race it perhaps caught me out a bit. I flat-spotted my tyres in the spin, so I’m pleased just to have finished really.”

David Sutton was over the moon with third, his maiden podium and the first this season for Team HARD. “After the season I’ve had so far, this is a brilliant result,” said the Rotherham racer, who after his excellent start had found a way past Gilbert on the fourth lap. David also had to stave off a charging Stewart Lines, whose progress from the back of the grid was mercurial: he was 11th by the end of the first lap, seventh by lap three and fourth behind Sutton with four laps to go. It wasn’t quite enough: “One more lap and I would have had him,” said Stewart.

Phil House was more than content with a fifth-place finish to accompany his earlier victory, with Fulbrook battling gear selection issues to secure sixth. Caygill scored his best result of the season so far with seventh, ahead of two more drivers scoring personal bests, Griffin and Wyhinny.

Barley placed 10th once again, with Robin Riley another to score his best result of 2013 with 11th ahead of Milner, Perkins and Simon Tomlinson. Young Sam Morgan suffered no car problems in this race and was rewarded with a solid 15th place. There was heartbreak for Wilmot, who looked set to follow his team-mate Sutton on to the podium but whose fourth place evaporated with four laps to run with a gear selection issue. He was joined in retirement after just a lap by front-row starter Walker-Tulley.

With eight rounds run and six remaining, the championship is finely poised with just 22 points separating the top three, Mason, Wylie and Fulbrook, and with House, who has yet to play his joker, close behind in fourth.

In a month’s time the APR Volkswagen Racing Cup ventures into mainland Europe for its annual visit to the Belgian Grand Prix circuit of Spa-Francorchamps. Further backing for the championship comes from ECM, CEVA, Hankook, Milltek, Paragon and Prestige Performance Centre.