ROUND six of the Engen Volkswagen Cup championship takes place at Zwartkops Raceway on Saturday, 30 August. With just three rounds of the eight-round title fight remaining, the battle for points is raging.
Up front the Engen Volkswagen Cup Polo Vivos of Daniel Rowe (11 – Ferodo Racing) and his teammate Sheldon van der Linde (16 – Ferodo Racing) are separated by just five points. In fourth and fifth it is Tasmin Pepper (31 – PG Glass / Blue Label Telecoms / Pepper Racing / Cornright Motors) and Trevor Bland (M6 – PG Glass / Suburban Panelbeaters) battling it out with just a single point between them.
Stuck between these two fights is Dewald Brummer (2 – MAD Racing / Grand Prix Models) in third place who is defending his position while also trying hard to close that 10 point gap to second place. Bland is not only fifth overall, but is also the leader in the Masters championship – with Mathew Hodges (M3 – ITR Africa / 959 Panelbeaters) in second place and chasing hard.
“The Engen Volkswagen Cup series was established as a learning opportunity for South Africa’s motorsport talent,” says Mike Rowe, head of Volkswagen Motorsport. “As a single-make series that does not allow much change from the basic specification, it pits the drivers against one another, rather than relying on technology or extra horsepower. This creates a situation where drivers must learn to drive at their best in order to achieve.” “The results of this programme have become quite evident in SA motorsport circles, with ex-Engen Volkswagen Cup competitors showing just how good they are – and how successful the idea for this series has been.”
While the 2014 championship competitors continue in their battles, former Engen Volkswagen Cup competitors are doing equally well behind the wheel. In the Bridgestone Production Car Championship Michael Stephen, Gennaro Bonafede, Simon Moss and Hennie Groenewald all contest Class A. Class T sees Graham Nathan, Michael van Rooyen, Lee Thompson, Ryan Rhode, Mandla Mdakane all showing their skills.
In the South African National Rally Championship, Leeroy Poulter and Ernie van der Walt are proving themselves a force with Poulter the overall leader in the fight for the title.
Internationally, Kelvin van der Linde – older brother of Sheldon – has made headlines with his victory in the Scirocco R-Cup and his progress in the ADAC GT Masters. Kelvin finally qualified to get his SA driver’s license just this week. Most recently, Jordan Pepper also made headlines by winning the Scirocco R-Cup title making it two South African wins in this series in the past two seasons. Jeffrey Kruger is contesting the Volkswagen Castrol Cup where he completed the Autodrom Most round in the Czech Republic earlier this month, and is second overall in the standings at this point in the season.
