Pictured: James Greenway. Click to open hi-resolution version

NEWS RELEASE: 5 MAY 2014

GREENWAY TAKES FIRST WIN AND CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD

Pictures from Rockingham

The Volkswagen Racing Cup welcomed a new winner to its ranks in the second race at Rockingham, with James Greenway pulling off what he threatened to do at Oulton Park last month. But, as with Aaron Mason in race one, the victory spoils might have gone a different way but for the intervention of mechanical problems, this time for David Sutton.

Greenway’s White Rose Scirocco took the lead on the opening lap, the Yorkshireman getting a better getaway from P3 on the grid than did pole man Phil House in his Scirocco and Tom Barley in his Golf. However, they were very nearly all passed on the drag down to the Deene hairpin by Mason, who rocketed up the outside only to have his power steering fail him at the crucial moment. Aaron had to manhandle his Scirocco around the tight bend, losing several spots; he completed the opening lap eighth.

SlideSports team-mates Sutton and David Fairbrother both made superb starts, the former from fifth and the latter from ninth, to slot in behind Greenway on the opening lap, and this trio circulated as one, separated by a bare second, for four laps, with Barley in hot pursuit. Sutton made his move on the leader on the fifth tour, slotting ahead at Deene but finding himself unable to make much of a break.

David lasted three laps in front before gremlins attacked his DSG gearbox and he found himself unable to select anything but fourth gear. Exiting the Tarzan hairpin he slowed and Greenway swallowed him up. Fairbrother tried to follow suit into Deene on the next lap but locked up the Pall-Ex Scirocco and slipped down the order, promoting Barley to third.

After his promising fifth place in race one, Tom was keen for even better and, spotting Sutton had a problem, wasted no time in demoting him to third. Greenway, Barley and Sutton crossed the finishing line in that order two laps later, separated by just 1.6s.

It was Sutton’s second podium of the day but David could not help but think of what might have been: “I got James into Turn 2 and I thought that was it, I was away and off to a win, but then I got stuck in fourth gear... Still, two races and two podiums make it not a bad weekend.”

“Dave was pretty quick out there until his problem set him back a bit,” agreed Greenway. “He managed to build a bit of a gap to me, but then he slowed and that allowed me to get back past him and get the race win which was on the cards for us after Oulton Park. Today’s first race was disappointing for me because I only got fourth, but then I scored good points and now I am leading the championship, so all in all it’s been a good day.”

Barley was delighted by his best-yet finish: “I struggled at Oulton because we had to fit a road-going differential. I knew coming here that with the right equipment in the car I could have a good day. I love this track and I just had a fantastic race.”

Reigning champion Mason had looked set to rejoin the party after his first-lap steering wobble; he set fastest lap of the race as he climbed back from eighth to fourth by mid-distance only to suffer a sudden loss of engine power. Aaron slipped to the very back of the field but salvaged two points for finishing the race; it was his first major mechanical problem in more than a year.

There were dramas for others also as they chased a podium place: James Walker fought a long and tough battle with Josh Caygill and Stewart Lines but was forced to lock up to avoid a collision ahead between House and Di Resta. James spun the Milltek Sport and dropped back behind both Caygill and Lines; he battled back past Lines but couldn’t recatch Caygill before the end. Josh’s fourth place was a career best.

Joe Fulbrook, whose Warranty Direct crew performed wonders between races not only to reconfigure his Golf’s power steering but also to fit a fresh engine, charged from the back of the grid to seventh behind Lines. “The boys did a great job in less than three hours,” said Joe. “The car was perfect and I have at least salvaged something from the weekend.”

Fairbrother recovered from his mishap to claim eighth – a personal best – ahead of Lucas Orrock, who recovered well from a third-lap spin at Tarzan in his KPM Scirocco. Di Resta survived the clash with House to take 10th ahead of Howard Fuller, who started from the back after a first-race spin and a penalty for exceeding track limits.

There were no errors from Chris Panayiotou in this race on his way to 12th ahead of Jack Walker-Tully, Simon Rudd and Richard Walker. The top 20 was completed this time by George White, Kieran Gallagher, the ever-improving Robin Riley, Tim Snaylam and Craig Mason. Matt Hamilton’s THM Racing Golf suffered further mechanical woes and he limped home 21st. Like House, Sam Morgan’s race ended with accident damage, his KPM Golf coming into contact with an unyielding Rockingham wall.