Michael Epps endured a tough induction to the Miltek Sport Volkswagen Racing Cup in the opening rounds of the 2015 season at Oulton Park.
The former single-seater racer make his tin-top racing bow in a Team Hard Golf Mk6 in Cheshire, however he found himself battling throughout the weekend with electrical issues that left him down in the speed traps compared to his rivals.
After qualifying thirteenth, Epps made a good start to the opening race passing two cars on the first lap. An attempted overtake at Cascades soon after ended with him losing the rear of his car though, the time lost leaving him down in twentieth at the finish.
Fighting his way through the field in race two, Epps gained six spots to finish fourteenth, before battling on the cusp of the top ten in race three en-route to an eleventh place finish.
Despite the mechanical issues that hampered him, Epps feels it was a valuable weekend as he continues to learn about the car and the championship.
“It’s a totally different car to drive compared to what I’ve been used to so I know I will have to be patient as technique naturally comes,” he commented. “I’m surprised by the cars performance in wet conditions too; being front wheel drive I thought I wouldn’t have half as much grip exiting corners.
“We were something like eight or nine miles per hour down at some of the speed traps so it’s a huge amount to be losing. I think to finish where I did isn’t bad at all considering. I guess its back to the rolling road so we have everything set properly for the next one. I’m gutted we couldn’t fix it here.”
Epps hopes to get some testing under his belt prior to the next three rounds of the championship at Rockingham on May 2/3, which he heads to sitting thirteenth in the championship standings.
