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Paul Di Resta

Pictured: Stefan Di Resta. Click to open hi-resolution version

NEWS RELEASE: 22 JUNE 2014

SNETTERTON SCORCHER SEES DI RESTA CLAIM MAIDEN VICTORY

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In only his seventh race in the Milltek Sport Volkswagen Racing Cup, Stefan Di Resta this afternoon proved that he not only has fast genes but also a cool head as he held off a late challenge from reigning champion Aaron Mason to claim his maiden racing victory in a car.

Stefan, younger brother of DTM racer Paul, took charge of the race on the third lap and built a handy lead in the JWB Motorsport Scirocco, only for Mason to whittle it away to a bare second entering the final lap. Despite a missed gearchange at the final corner, the 25-year-old from Bathgate in West Lothian crossed the line two-tenths of a second in front.

“It’s brilliant,” said Stefan. “I think we deserved a few wins already this year, and then after yesterday’s race we discovered during the dyno test that we were 10 horsepower down. We’ve not fixed the problem completely but we’ve made a big improvement, and that’s evidently what has got me the win, so I’m happy.”

JWB team manager Nick Beaumont paid tribute to his young charge: “He did well yesterday in a down-on-power car and he’s proved today with the car back to where it should be that he has the pace. The whole team is delighted with his result.”

Di Resta started the race third on the grid behind Josh Caygill – who was making his first start from the pole – and Stewart Lines. It was the more experienced Lines who made the better start to slot ahead of Caygill, with Di Resta third and firmly slamming the door shut in the face of Lucas Orrock as they entered Riches. Stefan’s first scalp was that of Caygill, whose Scirocco he demoted to third on lap two.

Lines’s Maximum Motorsport Scirocco led the train for two and a half laps but Di Resta found his way past for the lead through Agostini and was soon pulling clear as Lines started to slow and delay his pursuers. “I had decent pace for four laps,” said Stewart, “and then something started to give out and the car lost its punch.” Lines slipped to fourth before a clutch or gearbox problem brought him to a halt on lap seven.

Mason, who started fifth, struggled for three laps to find a way past Orrock but managed to get the job done on the fourth lap, into Riches and, after dispatching the slowing Lines, Aaaron set about narrowing the gap to leader Di Resta, lopping at least three tenths from it every lap to bring the Scotsman within range on the final tour. But a last-gasp victory for Aaron was not to be: “Di Resta missed a gear in the last corner and I got a good run on him but wasn’t quite close enough,” he said. Mason’s brace of Snetterton second places return him to the lead of the championship.

Orrock’s third place was his second podium of the weekend for KPM Racing and the third of the novice’s season. “We’re getting in the swing of it now,” said Lucas. “In a straight line I just couldn’t keep up with Aaron’s car, so I knew it was right to concede the place to him, try to stay with him and to focus on getting a top-three finish.”

Saturday race winner Joe Fulbrook survived a bruising encounter on lap five with Jack Walker-Tully’s Scirocco to take up fifth place, which became fourth with Lines’s demise. Walker-Tully retired as a result of the clash. Team HARD’s Howard Fuller enjoyed another strong Snetterton run to secure fifth place, his best finish of the season to date. Caygill, complaining of a down-on-power engine in his AWM/Warranty Direct Scirocco, came home sixth.

After his Saturday race ended early with accident damage, James Walker was on impressive form in the Milltek Sport Golf GTI, making up 11 places on the opening lap from the very back of the grid and fighting through to seventh at the line. That place would have gone to James Greenway, who put in an equally impressive drive from the back to make it up to into seventh as he entered the final lap, only for his Scirocco to overheat and stutter within sight of the flag. James limped in 10th, repassed also on the Senna straight by Chris Panayiotou and Sam Morgan, who finished eighth and ninth respectively.

Another to score his best result so far was Team HARD Golf GTI driver Kieran Gallagher, who made steady progress to 11th, ahead of David Fairbrother, Simon Deaton and David Sutton. Aaron Mason’s brother, Craig, was 15th to score his best finish, ahead of Joe McMillan, who recovered well from a first-lap excursion at Riches. The top 20 was completed by Simon Rudd’s Team HARD Golf, and Scirocco men George White, Robin Riley and Paul Dehadray, who were followed home by Mark Clynes, James Pile and Tom Barley. Pile had had to make a brief pit stop after a tap from behind sent Tim Snaylam’s Scirocco into the back of his Golf, and Barley was hobbled by a turbo issue.

Joining Lines and Walker-Tully in retirement were Simon Tomlinson, Phil House and Snaylam, all with mechanical woes.

 

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Pictured from top: Di Resta crosses the line 0.2s clear of Mason; Stefan centre stage on the podium flanked by Mason and Orrock; race start. Click to open hi-resolution version