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Volkswagen Motorsport International Newsletter

FIA World Rallycross Championship


FIAWRX


Marklund Motorsport in pole position in race for Team title


Marklund Motorsport improved its prospects of winning the Team title at the tenth round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship at the Autodromo di Franciacorta in Italy. Volkswagen drivers Toomas “Topi” Heikkinen (FIN) and Anton Marklund (S) may have missed out on the final in their Polo RX Supercars, but they did score valuable points towards the team competition. The Marklund Motorsport team is now level on points with Swedish rivals Ford Olsberg MSE at the top of the championship with two rounds of the season remaining. A Volkswagen driver is also second in the Drivers’ Championship, in the form of Heikkinen. However, he can no longer win the title. Norway’s Petter Solberg finished third at the track near Milan to clinch the World Championship crown with races to spare. Victory in Italy went to Sweden’s Timmy Hansen. The eleventh of twelve rounds on the World Championship calendar will take place in Istanbul on 11th and 12th October.


Global Rallycross


FOUSTRBRX


Sixth place keeps Scott Speed in title race


Scott Speed (USA) finished sixth in the penultimate race in the Global Rallycross Championship (GRC) in Seattle. In doing so, the ex-Formula One driver, racing for the Andretti Autosport team, kept his chances alive of winning the championship when it is decided at the season finale in Las Vegas on 5th November. Tanner Foust (USA) was making his second appearance with the new 544-hp Beetle GRC in Seattle. The US star clocked the fourth fastest time in qualifying, but was left with no chance of progressing to the final after several skirmishes. Foust was impressed by the new car. “It was another important step in the development of the Beetle. At the end of the event it was one of the fastest cars out there. We will see further improvements in Las Vegas,” said Foust.


Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup China


ROCCORCUP


Italian Mantori moves to top of standings


Carlo Piero Mantori won twice in Shanghai to move into the lead in the Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup China. The Italian started both races from third on the grid, but was still able to dominate en route to victory. In race one on the Formula One circuit, Mantori crossed the finish line 3.843 seconds ahead of German driver Markus Engel in second place. Liu Yang (CN) was the best home-grown driver in third place. Mantori’s advantage of Engel in the second race was 1.275 seconds. Patrick Boulaud (HK) joined them on the podium in third place. The championship leader coming into the event, William Lok (HK) endured a disastrous weekend. Having failed to finish the first race, he then had to settle for sixth place in race two, a whole 18.575 seconds off the pace. As such, he surrendered his lead in the one-make cup to Mantori, who is now level on points. Lok will get an opportunity to take revenge at the penultimate race weekend of the season, which takes place in Shanghai again on 17th to 19th October.


Volkswagen Castrol Cup Poland


CASTROLCUP


Kupcikas crowned champion again eight years down the line


Lithuanian driver Robertas Kupcikas has been crowned champion in the Volkswagen Castrol Cup Poland, having last won the title eight years ago. Two fourth places at the season finale in Poznan, Poland, were sufficient for the 31-year-old to secure the title. Kupcikas’ last triumph in the Volkswagen Castrol Cup came back in 2006. “The standard has improved enormously since then,” said Kupcikas. He won eight of the season’s 14 races at the wheel of his Golf. However, he did have to play second fiddle to other drivers at the final round of the season. The final two wins went to Pole Jakub Litwin and Jeffrey Kruger. The South African finished second overall with 528 points, behind Kupcikas (576). The best-placed Polish driver was Jan Kisiel (430) in third place. Jordan Lee Pepper (ZA), newly-crowned champion in the Scirocco R-Cup Germany, finished 13th and seventh on his guest appearance.


Formula Volkswagen South Africa


FVWSA


Dramatic title duel between Wolk and van Weely


Robert Wolk (ZA) and Nicholas van Weely were embroiled in another thrilling duel on the seventh race weekend in Formula Volkswagen South Africa, which took place in Killarney. Wolk won the opening race, finishing 3.496 seconds ahead of van Weely. For a long time, race two also looked like producing another triumph for Wolk. However, a puncture meant he could do nothing to prevent his main rival from passing in the closing stages of the race. Despite this misfortune, Wolk still came home second, just 0.940 back. The duel for the title is set for a thrilling finale at the last event of the season in Zwartkops on 1st November: Wolk and van Weely both go into the final races with 126 points to their name.


Engen Volkswagen Cup South Africa


VWCUPSA


Youngster van der Linde impresses again


15-year-old Sheldon van der Linde (ZA) produced another impressive display in Killarney to extend his lead in the Engen Volkswagen Cup. Van der Linde came home third at the end of a dramatic opening race, 0.391 seconds behind winner Daniel Rowe (ZA). The younger brother of Kelvin van der Linde (ZA), who races in the ADAC GT Masters, then won race two, finishing with a commanding 3.626-second lead over runner-up Dewald Brummer (ZA). Matthew Hodges (ZA) had previously landed in the tyres after a failed attack on the leader. This meant Sheldon van der Linde was also the top driver over the course of the race weekend. The title will be decided at the season finale in Zwartkops on 1st November in a thrilling three-way battle between van der Linde, Brummer and Rowe.


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