Golf GTI duo Peter Felix and Richard Walker shared the spoils in rounds seven and eight of the 2010 Volkswagen Racing Cup with Fuchs Lubricants at Silverstone. For the first time in the championship's history, the races were run around the Grand Prix circuit, with the layout producing two action packed encounters.
It was Walker who was the quickest of the 28 car field in qualifying, claiming pole position by 1.2 seconds ahead of Felix in second. Championship leader Steve Chaplin came third, only 0.093 seconds adrift of Felix, with Didge Dziurzynski joining him on row two. Aaron Mason and Sam Edwards locked out row three in their Golf GTI's.
As round seven began, Walker led into Copse, ahead of Felix. In third was the quick starting Paul Taylor, his lightning getaway moving him up from ninth on the grid in his Golf R32. As they progressed around the opening lap, Walker was comfortable, ahead of Felix, Taylor, Dziurzynski and Chaplin. Down the order, contact between Scirocco drivers Rob Daniels and Michael Kurton at Brooklands forced Daniels into an early retirement.
As they moved onto lap two, Felix began to pressure Walker for the lead. At Abbey, he saw a gap and made his move, pushing Walker wide, with Taylor benefiting to move into second, Walker slotting back into third. Behind, despite constant pressure from Chaplin, Dziurzynski held fourth, with Edwards and fellow Golf GTI driver James Walker battling hard for sixth.
At the front, Felix began to pull away, with Taylor holding his own for second. Third place was about to change though, with gear selection problems dropping Walker to fifth, with Dziurzynski moving up a spot. Once in fifth, Walker had to work hard to hold on to it, with his son James pressuring him hard. Dziurzynski was under pressure from Chaplin in third though, with the pair beginning to exchange the place between them as the race headed to its conclusion.
At the front though, Felix was finding it easy going, never threatened for the win, crossing the line to win by 2.7 seconds, in the process recording his second win of the season. Second went to Taylor, with Dziurzynski winning the battle to finish third, in the process posting the fastest lap of the race. Chaplin came home fourth, with Walker holding onto fifth ahead Edwards and son James. A great eighth place went to Alex Dziurzynski, the Corrado driver working his way up from 21st on the grid to make amends for gear troubles ruining his qualifying. Tim Snaylam finished ninth, with Kurton rounding off the top ten after his lap one incident.
Dark clouds moved overheard as Round eight approached, but conditions remained dry for the drivers. Courtesy of the 'reverse top six' grid, it was Edwards who began on pole, ahead of Richard Walker, Chaplin, Didge Dziurzynski, Taylor and Felix.
Once again it was Taylor who made the best start as the lights went out, the Golf R32 man shooting into the lead, ahead of Walker and Chaplin, with Edwards dropping to fifth by the end of lap one. Two drivers on the move on lap one were Howard Fuller and Mason, who both moved up nine places on the opening lap after starting a lowly 24th and 25th on the grid respectively.
Taylor wasn't able to hold onto his lead at the front for long, with Walker moving past at Club. Behind, Chaplin was beginning to be put under pressure for third by Dziurzynski, while race one winner Felix was looking to work his way towards the podium, moving past Edwards for fifth.
Taylor and Chaplin began battling hard for second, with Chaplin gaining the upper hand on lap four and moving past, with Dziurzynski following through for third. Behind, the fight for fifth continued to rage, with James Walker joining Felix and Edwards to make it a three way battle, moving past the latter on lap four, before dispatching Felix on lap five to take fifth.
At front though, Walker began to pull well away at the front, crossing the line to record his second win of the season by nearly seven seconds. The fight for second place reached its conclusion on the penultimate lap, with Taylor taking the spot after Chaplin and Dziurzynski managed to slow each other up. Chaplin finished third, after nipping past Dziurzynski at Priory on the last lap. Dziurzynski picked up double points in fourth, after playing his 'Joker'. Fifth place went to James Walker, with Felix holding off Edwards for sixth. Director of SEAT Cars UK Peter Wyhinny finished eighth in his Leon Cupra, with Alex Dziurzynski ninth. Mason rounded off the top ten after a great drive up the field, with Fuller finishing 12th after an equally impressive drive.
The Volkswagen Racing Cup with Fuchs Lubricants is additionally supported by Augustus Martin, Ceva Logistics, ECM Vehicle Delivery, Hankook, Milltek Sport, KW Automotive, Superchips and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles.
As they head to Snetterton on 29/30 Aug for the next two rounds, another competitive weekend from Chaplin has seen him extend his lead at the top of the standings to 60 points, with only six races remaining.
Provisional championship standings
1 Steve Chaplin 322
2= Sam Edwards & Paul Taylor 262
4 James Walker 244
5 Peter Felix 234
6 Didge Dziurzynski 226
7 Aaron Mason 212
8 Michael Kurton 198
9 Tim Snaylam 184
10 Daniel Walker 170
