Volkswagen Racing Cup Round 1 - Oulton Park

For 2020, we're really excited to have become partner with the fantastic VW Racing Cup. Matching perfectly with our extensive involvement in the VAG performance aftermarket, the VW Racing Cup is open for entries to a wide range of VAG models including but not limited to the VW Golf, VW Scirocco and Audi TT for which we have a wide range of performance exhaust applications. 

This year, the Volkswagen Racing Cup will celebrate its 20th anniversary and is widely regarded as the most accessible and competitive saloon car championship in the UK. This season brings with it a move to an exciting and all-new race weekend package that includes the Touring Car Trophy and TCR-UK series’.

This new, stand-alone programme means the Volkswagen Racing Cup, TCT and TCR UK series’ will headline the meetings. 

The 2020 Volkswagen Racing Cup begun with a bang at Oulton Park as last-minute entry Richard Gilbert took a maiden victory upon his return to the series with JM Racing. Mastering the wet conditions and with the protection of his teammate Josh Coggan, it was a dream start to the season for both.

A sodden track welcomed the competitors for the opening race of the year as Oulton Park saw the first round in which both TCT/TCR UK and the Volkswagen Racing Cup would share the track. Co-headlining the event, eyes were on the VW’s.

The hero of qualifying had been Bradley Kent, but he would throw it all away as the lights went out, struggling to get the power down in his Scirocco and dropping into the midfield. The result was a JM Racing 1-2 with last-minute entry Richard Gilbert leading from Josh Coggan. The multiple race winner seemed happy to act as a rear gunner to his teammate.

Coggan kept within two seconds, just proving to everyone that he had the pace when left alone, an excellent sign for his championship assault. Behind them both, Liam Griffin took a notable third upon his return to the VW Racing Cup. The European Le Mans runner-up was quickly up to speed, taking a respectable third, albeit five seconds behind the breakaway pair.

It was far tighter in the battle for fourth as Mark Wakefield made it a JM Racing 1-2-4. The 2019 championship runner-up switched cars in the build up to the weekend in order to let Richard Gilbert have his Mk7. Wakefield, like his fellow team co-owner Coggan could have been in contention for a win but was caught out by the puddles at the start, dropping down the order. Despite this Wakefield proved his skill to climb back up to fourth.

In doing so, Wakefield displaced Andy Wilmot by 0.3 seconds. Wilmot, a former-BTCC competitor, proved his talent in the Maximum Motorsport entry and will be buoyed by a front row start for the next race. With the top six reversed, it will be Jeff Alden on pole for race two. The Matrix Motorsport driver will be pleased with a solid result as he looks to improve upon 2020.

Kent though will be frustrated to have only finished seventh after his mistake at the start. He finished ahead of Team HARD scholarship winner Ollie Brown in his first VW adventure. Kieran Griffin and Tony Prendergast completed the top ten, as Paul Dehadray and William Butler rounded out the finishers.

It was a dream day for Richard Gilbert as the JM Racing driver took his second victory of the weekend in the second round of the 2020 Volkswagen Racing Cup. The sophomore year driver has come into his own on a wet Oulton Park circuit, holding off a late charge from sensational rookie Ollie Brown.

Brown, who only past his ARDS test 4 weeks ago was the biggest mover of the race, jumping seven places, though as a guest driver did not score points towards the championship.

The rain had stopped, but the circuit was far from dry as polesitter Jeff Alden made a clean start to hold onto his reverse grid position. He would hold it for the first lap until the JM Racing pair of Josh Coggan and Richard Gilbert once again found themselves at the sharp end.

Coggan soon found himself in the wars with Alden, whose driving in the middle of the race track ensured a queue had quickly formed. Coggan contacted the Matrix Motorsport driver into Hislops, pushing both off the track into Knickerbrook and allowing Andy Wilmot into the lead.

It proved to be short lived for the former-BTCC driver as the charging Gilbert was immediately on the back of him, charging after a second win in as many races. After watching Wilmot throughout the third lap, Gilbert used the Mk7’s superior traction to outdrive him into Britten’s with Oliver Brown following him through.

An anonymous race one for Brown was quickly replaced by a starring role in the second, jumping from eighth on the grid to second in only four laps. Not willing to stop there, the Team HARD scholarship driver was determined to prove his worth, hounding the points leader.

Gilbert though was eager to call upon his experience, making sure to keep an edge to the new face behind. The pair would cross the line under a second apart, but once again it was Richard Gilbert who took top honours in the spray of Cheshire.

Despite being displaced, Wilmot would come across the line in third place, completing a stellar weekend for the Maximum Motorsport driver and ensuring he remains very much in championship contention. Fourth would go to Mark Wakefield as he builds upon a solid race one performance to buoy his championship hopes.

Coggan came home in sixth but not before another on track contact, this time with Liam Griffin. His brother Kieran followed the JM Racing driver across the line as Tony Prendergast completed a quiet first weekend in his striking red and white Scirocco in seventh.

Bradley Kent was held up slightly by Alden’s return to the track after the third lap incident and could only manage eighth on a weekend that promised a lot more. As the recovering Liam Griffin, Paul Dehadray and William Butler completed the finishers.