PoloDriver

Despite many tough battles at the sixth round of the 2014 Engen Volkswagen Cup, Dewald Brummer brought home the silverware at Zwartkops over the weekend of 30-31 August. Sheldon van der Linde emerged as runner-up for both races.

Van der Linde set the qualifying pace, closely followed by Brummer and Shaun la Reservée. Race one saw Juan Gerber in pole position with Brummer in second and van der Linde in third. Brummer finished the 10 laps first however, with Van der Linde behind him, followed by Mathew Hodges.

Hodges was on pole for the second race at the South African circuit, ahead of La Reservée and Brummer. Again, Brummer claimed the chequered flag after 12 laps, closely followed by Van der Linde and Tasmin Pepper.

When the overall race day results were taken in account, Juan Gerber was the fastest ‘Master’, having finished fifth and sixth in race one and race two respectively. Behind him was Hodges and Trevor Bland.

The weekend also saw a change in the championship lead. Van der Linde is now at the top of the points table, with his team-mate Daniel Rowe second with just six points separating the Ferodo Racing pair. Brummer ties with Rowe, so with two rounds of the 2014 series to go, the title fight is still very much wide open.

RACE RESULTS

Race 1
1 Dewald Brummer (2: MAD Racing / Grand Prix Models)
2 Sheldon van der Linde (16: Ferodo Racing)
3 Mathew Hodges (M3: ITR Africa / 959 Panelbeaters)

Race 2

1 Dewald Brummer (2: MAD Racing / Grand Prix Models)

2 Sheldon van der Linde (16: Ferodo Racing)

3 Tasmin Pepper (31: PG Glass / Blue Label Telecom)

Overall

1 Dewald Brummer (2: MAD Racing / Grand Prix Models)
2 Sheldon van der Linde (16: Ferodo Racing)
3 Shaun la Réservée (7: Alpine Motors / Compendium Insurance)

MASTERS

Overall

1 Juan Gerber (M8: Haupt Racing)
2 Mathew Hodges (M3: ITR Africa / 959 Panelbeaters)

3 Trevor Bland (M6: PG Glass / Suburban Panelbeaters)



CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS

1 Sheldon van der Linde (16: Ferodo Racing), 249
2 = Daniel Rowe (11: Ferodo Racing), 243
2 = Dewald Brummer (2: MAD Racing / Grand Prix Models), 243

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US driver Tanner Foust finished sixth in his Volkswagen Polo RX Supercar at the sixth round of the Red Bull Global Rallycross Championship in Daytona over 23-24 August.
The Top Gear USA presenter had a challenging race weekend which wasn’t without its problems.

Qualifying brought slick mud and a low finishing position thanks to a freshly-watered course. after a pair of solid heats, Foust once again faced problems in his semi-final when he suffered a major spin.

Braking serverly to avoid another car, Foust slid into the trackside tyre barrier. He was able to restart his 500bhp Polo RX and rejoin the race to finish third. That won him a spot in the final, bypassing the last chance qualifier.

Chaos is the best word to describe the 1-car final. The course was the longest in the series’ history, with each mile-long lap featuring fast straights punctuated by technical hairpin turns. The resulting traffic stacked up in the corners and contact was inevitable.

‘Fighting through traffic in those hairpins was absolute mayhem,’ said Foust. ‘In the final, with 10 cars on that track, it was packed. It almost felt like we were fighting for parking spots at the mall.’

Foust ran as high as third place, but suffered serious damage during a set-to with another close to the end of the eight-lap contest. It was everything he could do to take his Polo to the end. Even so, he was able to cross the line to earn sixth-place points.

‘I limped to the finish with a rear wheel that wasn’t attached at all and somehow still managed sixth,’ said Foust. ‘It was a crazy race and I feel for the Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross crew. They have their work cut out, but I have every confidence that we’ll be in great shape by the next round.’

Team-mate Scott Speed crashed out of the Daytona International Speedway final and posted a 10th-place result, while Hyundai driver Rhys Millen took the chequered flag. The Andretti Polo RXs were quick, though – Foust was at the top of the time chart in practice and set the fastest lap on race day.

Speed is currently third behind Piquet Jr and Ken Block with 190 points in the Drivers’ Championship with four race weekends remaining. Foust is seventh in the overall standings. The next rounds will take place (back-to-back) in Los Angeles on 20-21 September.

2014 RED BULL GLOBAL RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,

DAYTONA: FINAL RESULTS
1 Rhys Millen, #67 Hyundai/Rhys Millen Racing Veloster Turbo
2 Ken Block, #43 Hoonigan Racing Division Ford Fiesta ST
3 Bucky Lasek, #81 Subaru Rally Team USA WRX STI
4 Patrik Sandell, #18 Olsbergs MSE Ford Fiesta ST
5 Sverre Isachsen, #11 Subaru Rally Team USA WRX STI
6 Tanner Foust, #34 Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross Polo R

2014 RED BULL GLOBAL RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,

DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS

1 Nelson Piquet Jr, 245
2 Ken Block, 205

3 Scott Speed, 190
4 Joni Wiman, 188

5 Steve Arpin, 170



2014 RED BULL GLOBAL RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,

TEAMS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS

1 Ford, 561

2 Volkswagen, 330

3 Subaru, 272

4 Hyundai, 97

5 Chevrolet, 5

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In an almost repeat of 2013, Volkswagen Motorsport’s two top drivers spectacularly crashed out of the 2014 ADAC Rallye Deutschland (Rally Germany), which ran around the Trier vineyard region of the country from 21-24 August. Stages included the legendary ‘Panzerplatte’, ‘Dhrontal’ and ‘Grafschaft’.

2014 World Rally Championship leader Sébastien Ogier went off the road on Saturday, with the then rally leader Jari-Matti Latvala following suit the following day.

However, as consolation, the third Volkswagen Motorsport driver Andreas Mikkelsen finished the event on the bottom step of the podium.

Overall victory went to Hyundai Motorsport’s Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul driving an i20 WRC. The Belgians’ Spanish team-mates Dani Sordo and Marc Marti were one place behind them.

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Henk Lategan and Barry White were the highest-placed Volkswagen Sasolracing finishers at the Imperial Toyota Cullinan Rally which took place over 15-16 August. The pair took their Polo S2000 to a fourth place result after two days of dusty competition during the 12-stage fifth round of the South African National Rally Championship.

The Polo duo endured a tough first day, running at the front of the field and sweeping the stages clear for their rivals. But day two was much better and Lategan and White – fifth in the overall championship – became progressively faster, winning the final stage of the day.

Team-mates Gugu Zulu and Carl Peskin suffered numerous punctures, which slowed their progress over the whole rally. ‘This event was very frustrating, it seemed to be actively working against us,’ said Zulu. ‘We worked hard in preparation for the Cullinan Rally but ultimately things did not work in our favour.’

It was a similar story for Han Weijs Jnr and Björn Degandt who are second in the championship. Starting well, the pair were in third place by the end of day one. But, pushing faster on day two saw their Polo S2000 roll during the second-last stage after landing in the sand following an over-exuberant jump.

The next event the Volkswagen Sasolracing squad of Polos will prepare for is the Toyota Dealer Rally in the Western Cape, which typically and traditionally features high speed stages and more than its fair share of sweeping corners.

Mike Rowe, Head of Volkswagen Motorsport South Africa was hopeful of his team’s chances at the Western Cape: ‘The Volkswagen Sasolracing team showed good pace this weekend,’ he said. ‘While this is not reflected in the overall results, it still gives us confidence for the next event where our aim is to get back on the podium.’

Other Polo finishers included Thilo Himmel and Armand Du Toit in eighth, Chad Van Beurden and Nico Swartz who took their Polo S1600 to 11th, Marko Himmel and Francois Schoonbee whose Polo R2 S1600 placed 16th, while Paulus Franken and Henry Kohne’s Manitou-liveried Polo S1600 was one place below. AC Potgieter and Tommu du Toit finished 18th.

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The Marklund Motorsport team’s trip overseas to the seventh round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship over the weekend of 9-10 August was rewarded with a second place for Anton Marklund and his Polo RX Supercar.

The young Swede has been consistently fast this season but has rarely translated the speed into results. That all changed last weekend. The 21 year-old Swede finished in the top five in all his heats, and won his semi-final to line-up against Petter Solberg on the front row of the grid of the final.

‘This has been a lot of fun,’ grinned Marklund. ‘I’ve managed to score points all day and driving down the long straight at speeds of around 190kmph is just amazing. Usually rallycross events are over two days so this has been a big challenge for my team to work over one day and they have done an amazing job.

‘It’s also really good for Volkswagen to have three out of four cars in the final and now we’re tied with Olsbergs MSE in the manufacturer standings too – it’s been a great weekend for the whole team.’

Marklund Motorsport had another success at WorldRX Canada, too. The 1.3km Trois-Rivières circuit Canada has a 59 per cent asphalt and 41 per cent gravel mix, which suited Toomas ‘Topi’ Heikinnen well – the other regular driver for the Swedish team scoring a fifth place finish.

He now moves to second place in the drivers’ championship points table, while Marklund’s podium placing consolidates his fifth place.

The team fielded four Polo RXs at the event, with two for regular drivers Marklund and Heikinnen, and one each for Global Rallycross Championship driver Tanner Foust and former IndyCar and NASCAR driver Patrick Carpentier.

Carpentier made his RX debut in the event. The French Canadian proved a natural talent despite having only one short test ahead of the race. ‘I can’t explain how happy I am to have made it to the final. Before today my only aim was to reach the semis and to be in the final on my RX debut is more than I could ever have hoped for,’ he beamed.

Foust, who has appeared at previous rounds of the championship earlier in the season, suffered bad luck at Trois-Rivières. His Polo RX had driveshaft failure in practice and heat one, and the Marklund Motorsport team ran out of spares for his car.

The Rockstar Energy Drink-liveried Polo was the same car Foust drove in the Finnish round of the championship. It repeatedly suffered from driveshafts popping out when the US driver landed after heavy jumps, yet his team-mates cars were frustratingly trouble-free.

‘I’ve watched the other guys (Carpentier, Heikkinen and Marklund) hitting the jumps twice as hard as I was with no problems, so we really don’t know why it has been doing it,’ said a disappointed Foust. The Top Gear USA presenter also confirmed he may be appearing at another European round of the series.

Norway’s Petter Solberg took a sensational lights-to-flag victory at the World RX of Canada to become the first driver to win a round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship held outside of Europe.

Round eight of the series is the World RX of France which will be held in Lohéac on 6 and 7 September.

2014 FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,

DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS

1 Petter Solberg, 155
2 Toomas Heikkinen, 135

3 Reinis Nitiss, 133

4 Andreas Bakkerud, 113

5 Anton Marklund, 111

2014 FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,

TEAMS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS

1 = Ford Olsbergs MSE, 246
1 = Volkswagen Marklund, 246

3 Team Peugeot-Hansen, 185

4 PSRX, 147

5 Monster Energy World RX Team, 83

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