Loads of action crammed into two Engen Volkswagen Cup races
THE penultimate round of the Super Series season saw the Engen Volkswagen Cup racers tackle two races at Killarney in Cape Town on Saturday. When the dust had settled, Sheldon van der Linde (16 – Ferodo Racing) had consolidated his lead, and he will enter the final race day as the championship favourite.
In the Masters category, Mathew Hodges (M3 – ITR Africa / 959 Panelbeaters) thought he’d ended his championship hopes when he misjudged his pace and rolled in race one. His rival in the category though, Trevor Bland (M6 – PG Glass / Suburban Panelbeaters), had already been removed from the race in lap one in an incident that saw his car at the side of the track just 400 metres away.
This takes the battle for both the overall Engen Volkswagen Cup title and the Masters title to the final round at Zwartkops on Saturday, 1 November.
Race one of the Engen Volkswagen Cup series saw a titanic battle taking place on track between Van der Linde, Daniel Rowe (11 – Ferodo Racing), Dewald Brummer (2 – MAD Racing / Grand Prix Models), Hodges and Shaun La Reservée (7 – Alpine Motors / Oakley / Tetra Mobile)
Rowe was the big winner there, claiming the first race win on the day with Brummer in second and the championship leader Van der Linde taking the third of the podium places.
Race two saw Van der Linde take a step up to claim the victory with Brummer in second and Tasmin Pepper (31 – PG Glass / Blue Label Telecom) rounding off the podium finishers. This second race also saw Bland again eliminated from the finishers when brake problems forced him to use engine braking – successfully slowing down but then also breaking his engine in the process.
With both Hodges and Bland experiencing problems in race one, it was up to Juan Gerber (M8 – Haupt Racing) to take the win for the Masters and he finished up second in race two, taking the overall win in this category for the day.
There is just one round left in the Engen Volkswagen Cup season for this year and that will see the competitors return to Zwartkops Raceway for two more races. At this point only guesswork can provide any clue as to who will be crowned the 2014 series champion – and who will be the victor in the Masters.
A nailbiting finale awaits for both competitors and race fans in just five weeks.
Volkswagen Cup Race Results:
Race 1
- Daniel Rowe (11 – Ferodo Racing)
- Dewald Brummer (2 – MAD Racing / Grand Prix Models)
- Sheldon van der Linde (16 – Ferodo Racing)Race 2
- Sheldon van der Linde (16 – Ferodo Racing)
- Dewald Brummer (2 – MAD Racing / Grand Prix Models)
- Tasmin Pepper (31 – PG Glass / Blue Label Telecom)Overall
- Sheldon van der Linde (16 – Ferodo Racing)
- Dewald Brummer (2 – MAD Racing / Grand Prix Models)
- Shaun la Reservée (7 – Alpine Motors / Oakley / Tetra Mobile)Masters
Overall
- Juan Gerber (M8 – Haupt Racing)
- John Johnstone (M5 – Circle Group)
- Mathew Hodges (M3 – ITR Africa / 959 Panelbeaters)
Championship points:
- Sheldon van der Linde (16 – Ferodo Racing) – 293
- Dewald Brummer (2 – MAD Racing / Grand Prix Models) – 285
- Daniel Rowe (11 – Ferodo Racing) – 281
