ALL of the action and drama of the Engen Volkswagen Cup can be experienced first-hand at Killarney on Saturday, 22 September, when the racers in this category tackle the penultimate round of the 2012 WesBank Super Series season.
The single-make Volkswagen Polo Vivo championship has created a number of nailbiting moments right from the opening round and, this late in the season, it does not appear that things will be any different in the closing stages.
Championship leader Kelvin van der Linde’s (31 – Ferodo Racing) 35 point lead is not big enough to keep him out of the clutches of his competition, but it does reduce the risks he has to take to stay at the head of the field.
The racer with the best chance to catch Van der Linde is defending Engen Volkswagen Cup champion, Devin Robertson (1 – Big Boss Auto / Sparco). Robertson claimed 48 points at the last round, held at Zwartkops Raceway, so another good race weekend could see him close the gap even further to Van der Linde.
This won’t be an easy task as Kyle Barnes (4 – Gold Liberations / Conti Partner) was also in excellent form at the previous event and he could make life difficult for Robertson while he works on solidifying his third place in the championship – staying ahead of some tough competition in the process.
For Barnes the threat will come from Jordan Pepper (46 – PG Glass / Blue Label Telecoms), Kosie Weyers (2 – Engen Xtreme / Tsogo Sun), Mark Silverwood (38 – Q8 Oils), Chad van Beurden (32 – Force 10 Racing / Beurden Construction) and Jeffrey Kruger (6 – IndyOil). These drivers are just 11 points apart on the championship table in their fight for fourth and as little as 20 points behind Barnes.
This is going to make the fight for the leading positions an exciting element of the race day as the drivers challenge for the very most points they can get in the little time there is left of the season. With six points available for each pole position achieved in qualifying that is another 12 points the fastest driver can collect to give them a little more advantage in the fight.
Competition will already be well underway between the competitors even before they take to the grid for the first race so motorsport fans can expect a highly charged battle on race day.
In the Masters category the racing should be no less intense. Dean Ball (M5 – Champion Motors) is the points leader with a healthy 30 point advantage on his rivals. The chase is going to be up to Eddie Rodrigues (M7 – SEW Eurodrive) – who claimed victory in this category at Zwartkops as well as Driver of the Day for that event – and Justin Taylor (M3 – VW Techniques) who currently holds third place in the Masters.
Two races wait for the Engen Volkswagen Cup competitors at Killarney and a full field, which can easily number more than 30 entries, will provide a large dose of racing action for motorsport fans in the Western Cape.
