PoloDriver

In true racing Polo style, the latest round of the 2011 Engen Volkswagen Cup at the Zwartkops circuit in Pretoria saw lots of wheel-to-wheel action. The weekend of 5-6 November saw eager drivers piling altogether into the narrow circuit’s corners, sometimes trading paint, sometimes swapping more. Despite not starting on pole position for either race Kosie Weyers was one of the first drivers into the scrum in both races, and went for every gap to emerge victorious on race day, taking the chequered flag in both runnings, with Kelvin van der Linde crossing the line in second place twice.

Lee Thompson in one of the Ferodo Racing Polo Vivos filled the last place on the podium in race one, while Devin Robertson in the Sparco car was third-placed in the second. Robertson now leads the 2011 championship, followed by Graham Donker in second place, and Miguel Pasqualli in third. The final round of the championship is on 26-27 November, once again at Zwartkops. The 2011 Engen Volkswagen Cup series is similar to the other racing VW Polo Cup single-series championships run in both Europe and India. Just as in those series, the one-make format highlights a wealth of new young driving talent. In the Engen championship, as many as thirty drivers regularly take to the track in technically-identical, 2.0-litre, 234bhp 2011 Volkswagen Polo Vivo racing cars.

Engen Volkswagen Cup racers crowd the Zwartkops race circuit
06 November 2011

Engen Volkswagen Cup competitors took a leaf from the Gauteng drivers and created a traffic jam at Zwartkops Raceway on Saturday. The single-make series fielded a grid of 25 cars at this narrow circuit. There were 18 championship entries and seven Masters racers on the grid at the start of each race. The result of such a large grid was that, especially at the opening stages of each race, competitors were charging into the corners three and four abreast – with disaster waiting just a heartbeat away.

In true Engen Volkswagen Cup style, the racers managed the impossible getting the field through corner after corner unscathed – well mostly anyway. In a series where door mirrors and bumpers are considered consumable items, a bit of knocking on one another’s doors through the corners is not just another day at the office for these drivers – it is the racing norm.

Kosie Weyers (3 – Engen Xtreme) was determined to show his form at this event. Weyers was not shy about diving into any gap he could find – or make – in order to get in front. When the dust settled, he had won both races on the day – despite not once starting from pole position. While Weyers was fighting to gain – and keep – the lead, there were fights going on throughout the field as drivers jostled for position. For Jeffrey Kruger (24 – Steamsure Combustion) the race day saw him right up amongst the frontrunners after a very good qualifying session.

Kruger posted the second-fastest qualifying time overall and this put him in the top six draw for the event. Starting at the sharp end of the field in the Engen Volkswagen Cup championship for Volkswagen Polo Vivo race cars is never an easy task. Despite this challenge, Kruger claimed a fifth place finish in race one and followed it with a sixth in the second race to finish fifth overall for the day. Between Kruger’s finishing positions and Weyers two race victories were Kelvin van der Linde (31 – Ferodo Racing), Lee Thompson (M30 – Ferodo Racing), Kyle Barnes (5 – Gold Liberations), Devin Robertson (2 – Sparco) and Bryan Morgan (4 – Greatsoft). These racers had their work cut out for them to stay in the mix, challenging each other for two, three four and five on the day.

In the first race it was Van der Linde who crossed the line to claim second behind Weyers with Barnes in third place. The second race saw Van der Linde again claim second spot, this time with Robertson – the new 2011 champion – in third spot. There is just one more point-scoring opportunity for competitors in the Engen Volkswagen Cup series this year. Robertson has already ensured that he will stick the coveted number one on his race car next year, now it is up to the other drivers to sort out the rest of the 2012 pecking order.

RACE RESULTS
Race 1
1 Kosie Weyers: 3 Engen Xtreme
2 Kelvin van der Linde: 31 Ferodo Racing
3 Lee Thompson: M30 Ferodo Racing

Race 2
1 Kosie Weyers: 3 Engen Xtreme
2 Kelvin van der Linde: 31 Ferodo Racing
3 Devin Robertson: 2 Sparco

Championship Overall
1 Kosie Weyers: 3 Engen Xtreme
2 Kelvin van der Linde: 31 Ferodo Racing
3 Kyle Barnes: 5 Gold Liberations

Masters Championship Overall
1 Lee Thompson: M30 Ferodo Racing
2 Graham Donker: M2 Mini / Maxi Panelbeaters
3 Miguel Pasqualli: M1 Engen Xtreme

[Source: Volkswagen Racing]