| THE Engen Volkswagen Cup field head to KwaZulu-Natal for round six of the 2015 championship. Here the field will tackle Dezzi’s Raceway – a first for the field of Volkswagen Polo Vivo GT race cars.
With five rounds of the 2015 season complete, it is Sheldon van der Linde (1 – Champion) who is the clear leader in Engen Volkswagen Cup. Most of the bonus points for pole position qualifying and fastest lap during a race have been claimed by Van der Linde. With seven race victories, he has also appeared on the top step of the podium more than any other competitor this year.
While Van der Linde will be enjoying his 18 point lead, he won’t be taking it easy. With more than 150 points available for the remainder of this season, there is still a significant threat to his lead. The greatest of these threats comes from Mathew Hodges (M1 – Makopano / Phoenix Signs / 959 Panelbeaters).
Hodges is the lead Master in the series and is currently in second place in the overall championship as well. Hodges has produced some very consistent results this year and is in a strong position to challenge for the overall lead.
Daniel Rowe (2 – Ferodo) is in third place, 23 points (less than one race victory) behind Hodges and is quite capable of sending Hodges down the order in the remaining rounds of the championship. He’s achieved good results this season and doesn’t have to stand back for any of the other competitors. Rowe, however, finds himself in a similar position to the leading pair.
In fourth place on the points log is Trevor Bland (M2 – PG Glass). Second in the Masters and fourth overall, he is 15 points adrift of Rowe and also an accomplished racer. Bland poses an equal threat to both Rowe and Hodges as he is also challenging for position in the Masters category. With some good outings in the coming rounds, he could even achieve enough to threaten Van der Linde.
In true Engen Volkswagen Cup style though, it doesn’t stop there. Bland is 13 points ahead of Christopher Shorter (33 – Hollard), Shorter is six points ahead of his brother Matthew who, in turn, is 10 points ahead of Tasmin Pepper (31 – PG Glass).
That covers the top seven positions in the series, while the top 10 sees 113 points covers the spread of racers. With more than 150 points, it is still very much a case of “anything can happen”.
Two races of Engen Volkswagen Cup action should prove a highly entertaining motorsport experience for KZN race fans on Saturday, August 29, when the field of Engen Volkswagen Cup Polo Vivo GT racers takes to Dezzi’s Raceway. |
