PoloDriver

The final round of the 2013 Engen Volkswagen Cup in South Africa saw Kosie Weyers named as the season’s champion, after clinching the title at the penultimate round in the Western Cape. Weyers had no-pressure races at Kyalami last weekend, while second place in the championship was fought hard by Dewald Brummer and Mathew Hodges, with Brummer emerging on top following a runner-up position in race two. Hodges took 2013’s third.

In race one, Mark Silverwood took the spoils, with Weyers finishing close behind, with Jordan Pepper taking the final spot on the podium. Race two meanwhile saw Lee Thompson cross the line ahead of the chasing pack, followed by Brummer and Trevor Bland. The final round also featured a battle for podium standings in the Masters category. Ettiene du Toit lead the Masters going in the final round and it seemed he would lift the title ahead of Eddie Rodrigues.

In race one Du Toit was unable to complete the event while Rodrigues managed to just make it to the end, completing enough of the laps to claim points and draw level. This put both on an even footing for the final race. Rodrigues was in a commanding position throughout the race when oil on the track and running on the last scraps of grip saw him slow down rather than risk not finishing – while an oil leak on Du Toit’s gearbox saw his car fill with smoke, forcing him to slow, allowing Rodrigues to finish the day unchallenged. Rodrigues managed to limp his car across the finish line, claiming the 2013 Masters title by one point.

Guest driver Thomas Falkiner is a member of the motoring media and he contested the final three rounds of this season. While his first outing in the series at Zwartkops proved a tough introduction to the series, Falkiner progressed to a better performance at Killarney, improving to the point of winning the first race in the Masters category at Kyalami. ‘This was a real eye-opener, I always thought the Polo Vivos were easy to drive and anyone could just hop in and do well,’ said Falkiner. ‘As a V8 driver, I thought I would do well off the bat and I didn’t so it was character-building. I was ready to throw in the towel after that first event, but I’m glad I didn’t. It was a fun way to experience a formula I didn’t know too much about, I learned how hard the cars are to drive and what skill it takes to squeeze the most out of them.’

The 2013 Engen Volkswagen Cup series is similar to the other racing Volkswagen Polo Cup single-make racing series championships run in China, Europe and India. Just as in those official Volkswagen series, the South African one-make format highlights new driving talent. In the Engen series, as many as 35 drivers regularly race in technically identical, 2.0-litre 234bhp Volkswagen Polo Vivo racing cars. For 2013, the Engen Volkswagen Cup cars are powered by the new Engen Primax fuel.

RACE RESULTS

Race 1
1 Mark Silverwood (32: RTT Logistix)
2 Kosie Weyers (5: Engen Primax)
3 Jordan Pepper (3: Hollard)



Race 2

1 Lee Thompson (M10: Lee Thompson Racing)
2 Dewald Brummer (22: MAD Racing/UMP/Horne Hydraulics)
3 Trevor Bland (15: PG Glass)


SEASON RESULTS
1 Kosie Weyers (5: Engen Primax)
2 Dewald Brummer (22: MAD Racing/UMP/Horne Hydraulics)
3 Mathew Hodges (12: ITR Africa/959 Panelbeaters)

Masters
1 Eddie Rodrigues (M7: SEW Eurodrive)
2 Ettiene du Toit (M4: Zenith Product Design)
3 Juan Gerber (M8: Carfind.co.za)

Engen Volkswagen Cup championship leader Kosie Weyers drove to a double victory at the Zwartkops round of the one-make series on 31 August. Weyers claimed two race wins on the day, the third time this year he has produced a double victory. Mark Silverwood drew pole position in both races, while Weyers started in second position in race two. Sliverwood led off the line, but Weyers made his intentions clear, getting to the front of the field in both races in a short amount of time. Race one saw him battle with Silverwood and Mathew Hodges, whose contact-laden tussle sent the pair off the track. Hodges recovered quickly to take third place, behind Jeffrey Kruger.

In the second race, Hodges too second spot on the podium, closely followed by Dewald Brummer in third. Tyrell Govindsamy was named Driver of the Day for the Zwartkops event, thanks to his performance on the weekend. In race one he progressed from 20th on the grid to finish in 16th and in race two finished 15th from 21st on the grid. The racing at Zwartkops was especially hard-fought, right from the qualifying session which saw the first 23 Polo Vivos separated by just one second. Of these, the top 16 cars were separated by just a half-second. In typical Engen Volkswagen Cup style, after each of the races there were bumpers, mirrors and other parts to be found at a variety of locations around the circuit, an indication of just how serious this championship is.

The penultimate round of the series takes place in Cape Town on Saturday, 5 October, where Weyers will undoubtedly be aiming to claim the championship title in front of his home crowd. The 2013 Engen Volkswagen Cup series is similar to the other racing Volkswagen Polo Cup single-make racing series championships run in China, Europe and India. Just as in those official Volkswagen series, the South African one-make format highlights new driving talent. In the Engen series, as many as 35 drivers regularly race in technically identical, 2.0-litre 234bhp Volkswagen Polo Vivo racing cars. For 2013, the Engen Volkswagen Cup cars are powered by the new Engen Primax fuel.

RACE RESULTS

Race 1

1 Kosie Weyers (5: Engen Primax)
2 Jeffrey Kruger (7: IndyOil)
3 Mathew Hodges (12: ITR Africa/959 Panelbeaters)

Race 2
1 Kosie Weyers (5: Engen Primax)
2 Mathew Hodges (12: ITR Africa/959 Panelbeaters)
3 Dewald Brummer (22: MAD Racing/UMP/Horne Hydraulics)

Tasmin Pepper became the first female winner of the Engen Volkswagen Cup on 4 August, when she stormed the field at the Phaksia Freeway, South Africa. The 23 year-old delivered a winning drive in her Polo Vivo from fourth place on the grid. She took race one’s chequered flag ahead of Kosie Weyers and Mathew Hodges. In the second race, Dewald Brummer emerged victorious, with Durban-based Shaun la Reservee coming in second. Luck was out for Pepper, though – a gearbox problem meant she finished fourth. The next round of the championship is in Zwartkops, Pretoria on 31 August.

The 2013 Engen Volkswagen Cup series is similar to the other racing Volkswagen Polo Cup single-make racing series championships run in China, Europe and India. Just as in those official Volkswagen series, the South African one-make format highlights new driving talent. In the Engen series, as many as 35 drivers regularly race in technically identical, 2.0-litre 234bhp Volkswagen Polo Vivo racing cars. For 2013, the Engen Volkswagen Cup cars are powered by the new Engen Primax fuel.

RACE RESULTS
Race 1
1 Tasmin Pepper (31: PG Glass)
2 Kosie Weyers (5: Engen Primax)
3 Mathew Hodges (12: ITR)

Race 2
1 Dewald Brummer (22: UMP/Horne Hydraulics/MAD Racing)
2 Shaun la Reservee (15: Alpine Motors)

Over the weekend of 4-5 May, Mark Silverwood took the spoils at round four of the Engen Volkswagen Cup at Zwartkops Raceway, Pretoria. Recent work carried out to the circuit’s surface meant that handling characteristics of the Polo Vivo race cars were altered, but it didn’t stop Silverwood taking Bryan Morgan’s pole position from him in the first corner of race one. Morgan fought back however, but had to succumb to Silverwood’s repeated attacks on his leading position. Dewald Brummer claimed third place, after a tense championship battle with Kosie Weyers. The first part of race two was a re-run of race one, with Silverwood scalping Morgan, but Weyers also pushed past the leader, sending Morgan down to third.

The 2013 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 official Volkswagen series, the South African one-make format highlights new driving talent. In the Engen series, as many as 35 drivers regularly race in technically identical, 2.0-litre 234bhp Volkswagen Polo Vivo racing cars. For 2013, the Engen Volkswagen Cup cars are powered by the new Engen Primax fuel. The field will head to the Grand Prix Circuit, East London for round five of the 2013 championship on 15 June.

RACE RESULTS
Race 1
1 Mark Silverwood (32: OKI Printing Solutions)
2 Bryan Morgan (41: Great Accounts/Great Soft)
3 Dewald Brummer (22: UMP/Horne Hydraulics/MAD Racing)

Race 2
1 Mark Silverwood (32: OKI Printing Solutions)
2 Kosie Weyers (5: Engen Primax)
3 Bryan Morgan (41: Great Accounts/Great Soft)


Overall standings
1 Mark Silverwood (32: OKI Printing Solutions)
2 Bryan Morgan (41: Great Accounts/Great Soft)
3 Kosie Weyers (5: Engen Primax)

Masters
1 Ettiene du Toit (M4: Zenith Product Design)
2 Juan Gerber (M8: Carfind.co.za)
3 Eddie Rodrigues (M7: SEW Eurodrive)

Reigning 2013 Engen Volkswagen Cup leader Kosie Weyers once again delivered a winning drive at the second round of the one-make championship on Saturday. Weyers took victory in both races at Killarney in Cape Town, boosting his championship lead by 27 points. Race one saw Weyers take the lead from Shaun La Reservée, who then fought back valiantly until the finish of the eight-lap race. It was almost a photo finish, with Weyers’ Engen Primax-sponsored car crossing the line 0.095 seconds ahead of La Reserveé’s Alpine Motors/Compendium Insurance-liveried racer. Third place was taken by Tasmin Pepper, claiming her first podium result of the season.

Weyers dashed for the lead again in race two, from a third place start. Mathew Hodges kept up the pace behind him, but Weyers steadfastly refused to budge. Pepper wasn’t quite so lucky, as an incident with Simon Moss forced her into the path of three more drivers, eliminating her, Juan Gerber and Ryan Rhode. Fourth-placed Trevor Bland then moved into third, which is where he finished, ahead of pole-sitter La Reservée and Mark Silverwood, who started the race down the grid in ninth place.

Guest racer Denis Droppa, who competed in the first two seasons of the Engen Volkswagen Cup championship in 1997 and 1998, found that the series is just as tough today as it was back then. While the younger and more experienced racers outpaced him, Droppa made good progress during the weekend improving his lap times by three seconds and within 2.3 seconds of the race winner. Droppa competed as a Masters racer, the category for Engen Volkswagen Cup competitors over the age of 27. In this category it was Eddie Rodrigues who put in the best performance of the day, winning both race one and race two – with his second race result in eighth place overall.

The 2013 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 official Volkswagen series, the South African one-make format highlights new driving talent. In the Engen series, as many as 35 drivers regularly race in technically identical, 2.0-litre 234bhp Volkswagen Polo Vivo racing cars. For 2013, the Engen Volkswagen Cup cars are powered by the new Engen Primax fuel. The field will head to Port Elizabeth for round three of the 2013 series at Aldo Scribante Raceway on 6 April.

RACE RESULTS


Race 1

1 Kosie Weyers (5: Engen Primax)
2 Shaun La Reservée (14: Alpine Motors/Compendium Insurance)

3 Tasmin Pepper (31: PG Glass/Plastomark)

Race 2

1 Kosie Weyers (5: Engen Primax)

2 Mathew Hodges (12: ITR Africa/959 Panelbeaters)
3 Trevor Bland (15: PG Glass/Suburban Panelbeaters)

Overall standings

1 Kosie Weyers (5: Engen Primax)

2 Shaun La Reservée (14: Alpine Motors/Compendium Insurance)

3 Trevor Bland (15: PG Glass/Suburban Panelbeaters)

Masters

1 Eddie Rodrigues (M7: SEW Eurodrive)

2 Ettiene du Toit (M4: Zenith Product Design)
3 Gerhard Henning (M5: Goldwagen Roodepoort)