NEWS RELEASE: 13 AUGUST 2007
DOUBLE TOP FOR GILHAM AT SILVERSTONE
Championship leader Tony Gilham claimed his first wins of the Volkswagen Racing Cup season yesterday (Sunday), taking the honours in both of the exciting Silverstone races at the wheel of his Golf GTI. The Kent-based driver became the fifth different winner in the Hankook-backed championship.
Early-season leader Joe Fulbrook scored well at Silverstone also, as did Steve Wood, to set the scene for a gripping three-way shoot-out for the championship crown at Rockingham next month.
The first Silverstone race provided a breathtaking race-long three-car duel between Gilham, Richard Walker's Golf GTI and the always entertaining Vento VR6 of Martyn Culley.
But at the start it was reigning champion Paul Taylor who was the man on the move, the Hertfordshire driver lighting up his four-wheel-drive Golf R32 to charge from fifth on the grid, between the front row cars of Fulbrook and Culley, to snatch the lead on the run down to the first corner, Copse.
If anything it was too good a start: Taylor arrived at Copse travelling much too quickly to make the corner and slid off the track, losing valuable moments as he tried to keep the Golf pointing in the right direction.
Wood profited from the confusion caused by Taylor's mistake. 'I made a blinding start,' said the Gloucestershire Golf GTI pilot, 'and went round Copse well ahead.' Alas second time around Wood got Copse all wrong and slid wide, slipping to fourth behind the cars which were to dispute victory for the duration.
Gilham, Walker and Culley circulated nose to tail for seven laps until Culley managed to sneak past Walker for second and, as Richard fought back, Gilham seized his chance to pull out a breathing space. Within three laps Tony was three seconds clear and easing towards his first win of the year in his Regal Autosport/GIAC-prepared machine. 'I'm happy with that,' said Gilham. 'I was under big pressure from Richard and Martyn but then as they started to fight I was able to creep away a bit.'
Nottingham-based Walker started to suffer an intermittent misfire on the straights which dashed his hopes of regaining second from Culley. 'I got hung out to dry at the start,' said Martyn, 'and found myself back in fifth. From then on it was a case of getting my head down and going for it.'
Walker held on for third to make a return to the Silverstone podium, which he last visited in the 1980s as winner of the British Truck Grand Prix.
Pole-sitter Fulbrook was another to lose ground in the first corner melee, slipping back to seventh and out of touch with the leading runners. The Berkshire driver battled over fourth place with Wood and Jamie Perry's V6 Golf, but had to settle for fifth at the chequered flag. Perry's progress was hampered by power steering failure.
Taylor recovered from his first-corner spin but struggled to keep pace with the others and could manage no better than seventh, ahead of Peter's Wyhinny's Caddy TDI, Steve Chaplin's 'Herbie' Beetle and Alex Dziurzynski's Corrado.
Motoring journalist Jason Barlow enjoyed his first outing in the new Golf Sport with its 1.4-litre TSI turbo and supercharged power unit; Jason placed 14th.
Among the disappointed non-finishers were the Beetles of Paul Lloyd-Roach and Steve Dorrell, which made contact after PLR's engine cut out, Graham Needham, who went off in his Golf R32 DSG through a puncture, and Michael McInerney, whose Europcar Golf suffered a broken engine mount.
His opening race victory meant a third-row grid slot for race two, but that did not deter Gilham, who charged on to pole position man and early leader Perry's tail on the opening lap. Tony then got ahead of Jamie - still without power steering in his V6 Golf - at Abbey on lap two to take the lead.
Walker was not going to let Gilham run away with things, however. He got past his ATMR team-mate Wood on the second lap and then liberated second spot from Perry next time around and, within three laps, was right on the leader's tail.
The fight to the chequered flag was enthralling, wily Walker nosing ahead out of Luffield on the eighth lap, only to be repulsed, and then attacking again on the run down to Bridge on the final lap. 'I tried to dive inside him,' said Richard, 'and maybe I braked a bit too late.' There was contact and Walker's progress was impeded slightly, Gilham going on to cross the line three seconds clear. 'It was a very exciting race,' added Walker. 'I think mine was the quicker car but Tony drove an excellent defensive race.'
Gilham was more than pleased with his day's work: 'We've been working towards a win all season. It's been a long time coming but it's all the sweeter for that.'
Fulbrook went off track on the opening lap in avoidance of the enthusiastic Wood in the Complex on lap one, which saw the Bora man slip to fifth, just ahead of Culley. Joe and Martyn battled for several laps before reeling in Wood to make it a three-way battle for third.
Gearbox problems started to hamper Culley's progress and only Fulbrook was able to find a way past. Wood hung on to fourth, with Culley losing fifth to Perry two laps from the end.
Taylor endured a lonely run to seventh, with Peter Wyhinny claiming eighth in the Caddy, just ahead of Darren Blumson, who was enjoying his best outing in the Sidlow Beetle since Oulton Park in April. Martyn Culley's dad, Barrie, brought his Vento home 10th ahead of Needham's R32 and Dorrell's Beetle. Barlow recovered from an early spin to claim 15th at the line.
There was cruel luck for Dziurzynski, whose gearbox failed within sight of the flag to rob him of a certain ninth place, and also for Lloyd-Roach, the misfire which had plagued his Beetle returning to stop him on the last lap.
With only the two Rockingham races remaining, Gilham now enjoys an on-paper lead of 28 points over Fulbrook. But having scored in every round Tony faces having to drop his worst single score (30) from his total as drivers may count only their best 11 scores from the 12 races. Fulbrook and Wood have each failed to finish one race and won't have to discard.
The Volkswagen Racing Cup in association with Hankook enjoys the additional support of Augustus Martin, Castrol, ECM Vehicle Delivery, Europcar, Milltek Sport, Mondial Assistance, KW Automotive, Superchips, TNT Logistics, Turbo Dynamics, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles and Volkswagen Financial Services UK.