Day of action in East London for Engen Volkswagen Cup competitors

07 July 2014 - 13:03 By Admin

In East London it was Masters competitor Mathew Hodges (M3 – ITR Africa /959 Panelbeaters) who set the pace in the Engen Volkswagen Cup championship, showing the younger racers how it should be done. Hodges showed that being a Master is not just about age, but also about racing skill.

With overall victory on the day, Hodges leaves East London with the lead in the Masters category and moves up to fourth place overall in the championship

Round four was all about close battles and fierce competition between the drivers as they fought through two races and 16 laps on the East London circuit.

With Hodges the strongest competitor in race one, there was constant pressure from Daniel Rowe (11 – Ferodo Racing) and Dewald Brummer (2 – MAD Racing / Grand Prix Models), neither of whom were willing to give up the fight for position at the front of the field. Brummer posted the fastest time in qualifying and Rowe started from pole when luck favoured him in the top-six draw.

Contact between this pair shifted the advantage to Hodges who was not about to give up his track position – a red flag stopped the race two laps early after an accident saw Noel Greyling (14 – Crazy J's) doing significant damage to his race car.

In race two Brummer was not about to let advantage pass him by a second time, crossing the line for first at the end of the 10 lap race. Sheldon van der Linde (16 – Ferodo Racing) took second place – posting the fastest laptime of the race in the process (1:36.895).

Hodges was the third finisher in this race, taking his second podium result of the day which boosted him to the top of the race day standings – and promoting him to the top spot in the Masters' points standings.

With Brummer finishing ahead of Rowe overall, it also sees a change in the championship standings. While Rowe retains the lead with his teammate, Van der Linde, in second, Brummer moves up one place to third.

Behind Hodges, Trevor Bland (M6 – PG Glass / Suburban Panelbeaters) also moves up the overall leaderboard and will no doubt pressure Hodges to re-take the lead in the Masters category.

The Engen Volkswagen Cup field will race at Phakisa Freeway on Saturday, 2 August, at round five of the championship. This does not allow much time for preparation, but the track is a firm favourite with the drivers.

An improved race day performance saw Adrian Wood (34) take the Drive of the Day award. His improvement out on track saw him rewarded with a sixth place finish in the second race of the Engen Volkswagen Cup series. Another driver who stood out on the day was Tasmin Pepper (31 – PG Glass). Pepper started race two in pole position but an over-rev put her car into limp mode – and left her at the back of the field. She reset the car and set about catching the field. By the end of the race Pepper had overtaken all but the top seven in the field.

Race 1