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)