PoloDriver

It was business as usual at the third round of the Engen Volkswagen Cup at the Aldo Scribante Raceway in Port Elizabeth on 28 April, with much bumping and barging, many drivers attempting to tackle corners two, three, or four abreast! A full 29-car grid ensured space was at a premium, but the pair of Polo races only saw two racers unable to finish the timed laps. Sudhir Matai from Car magazine was one, hit from behind and run off the track, resulting in a damaged front end from striking the tyre barrier. A second race start was possible due to work put in by Matai’s pit team and fellow Engen racers, but a damaged lower control arm saw him retire. Ettienne Prinsloo was the other unfortunate casualty.

In race one, Dorian Garvie and Kosie Weyers both sat on the first line of the grid, with Jordan Pepper and Bryan Morgan behind them. Mark Silverwood and Kelvin van der Linde brought up the rear. After the lights had turned green, Garvie tried to hold onto his lead, while Silverwood was on a mission to fight through the cars in front of him, netting him two places during the race. Despite Garvie nudging Pepper, the latter finished seventh, while Garvie crossed the line in 16th. At the front, van der Linde gave Weyers a friendly tap, giving him the lead which he held onto until he took the chequered flag. Weyers was also under attack from Silverwood, but stayed firm in second place. Silverwood came home third.

Race two was just as frenetic, with Silverwood chasing second place with Jeffrey Kruger. Kruger made an overtaking move and got through, soon followed by Mathew Hodges. Weyers had a go, too, but a struggle with fellow racer Devin Robertson saw the pair trading blows down the main straight. Meanwhile, Silverwood ended his third-place battle with Hodges when he exited on the apex of the final corner, finishing 16th, giving Hodges the higher runner-up position. Van der Linde finished first, while Kruger came home second. The Engen Volkswagen Cup racers will take to the track again for round four of the South African national championship at the Kyalami circuit in Johannesburg on 26 May.

The 2012 Engen Volkswagen Cup series is similar to the other racing Volkswagen Polo Cup single-series championships run in China, Europe and India. Just as in those officially-sanctioned Volkswagen-moderated series, the South African one-make format highlights new driving talent. In the Engen championship, as many as thirty drivers regularly take to the track in technically-identical, 2.0 234bhp Volkswagen Polo Vivo racers.

RACE RESULTS
Race 1
1 Kelvin van der Linde (31: Ferodo Racing)
2 Kosie Weyers (2: Engen Xtreme)
3 Mark Silverwood (38: Q8 Oils)

Race 2
1 Kelvin van der Linde (31: Ferodo Racing)
2 Jeffrey Kruger (6: Indy Oil)
3 Mathew Hodges (ITR Africa)

Overall standings
1 Kelvin van der Linde (31: Ferodo Racing)
2 Jeffrey Kruger (6: IndyOil)
3 Kosie Weyers (2: Engen Xtreme)