VW Racing Cup

House returns to Volkswagen winning ways in race one

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Phil House took his first win of the 2013 APR Volkswagen Racing Cup, the former double champion benefitting from a time penalty handed to winner on the road, Aaron Mason.

PH Motorsport’s House made decent start from his maiden pole position of his 2013 return to the VW Cup, but it was not quite enough to keep the similar Scirocco of Mason from slotting into the lead at Copse for the first time ahead of House and Martin Depper.

The best start came from Ross Wylie who started fifth on the grid as he disposed of Depper on the first lap, the four Sciroccos making a break at the front from the fifth-placed Golf of Henry Gilbert which was soon overtaken by the second green KPM Scirocco of Stewart Lines.

Depper begun attacking the lead trio, getting a much tighter exit from the final corner to draw alongside Wylie into Copse, but the Slidesports man held his ground firm around the outside at Copse and held onto the position, Depper dropping back a lap later into the clutches of team-mate Lines after running wide on the exit of Luffield on lap three.

This set up a thrilling four-car dice over fourth spot for the remainder of the race, Gilbert passing both Lines and Depper after Lines ran wide at Stowe, then passing former Mini racer Depper under braking for Brooklands.

The lead battle meanwhile saw Wylie briefly find a way by House for second, only for the latter to return the favour on the same lap, before slashing Mason’s two-second lead by over half a second a lap later.

He was soon right on the leader’s tail, but his job would be made a lot easier as a five-second penalty was issued to Mason for disrespecting track limits, House therefore taking a win that he admitted afterwards was unknown to him, having finished on the rear bumper of his AWM/Warramty Direct rival as they took the flag.

A shocked House said: “I’ve only just found out I won, I didn’t even know! I was actually a bit disappointed to have finished in second to be honest because I thought I could beat Aaron, but I’m not now, I’m really happy.”

Wylie therefore inherited second place ahead of the demoted Mason, while fourth place went to championship leader Joe Fulbrook in the titanic squabble over the remaining four spots, Fulbrook passing Lines and Depper who both slipped behind with mistakes, then making a move on Gilbert to seal fourth.

Lines also got by Gilbert at Abbey but ran wide at Maggots on lap 9, although he would finish beind Depper and Gilbert thanks to a penalty of his own, Depper taking fifth on the last lap from Gilbert at the Village Loop, Lines being classified seventh ahead of Chris Levett, Josh Caygill and Peter Wyhinny’s SEAT.

David Fairbrother could have been in that top 10 had he not spun at Becketts early in the race, while the returning Beetle of Tony Haberman ended in the gravel at Abbey.

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