THE Engen Volkswagen Cup racing season gets underway at Zwartkops Raceway on Saturday, March 19. This is the first of the eight-round championship and marks the start of the series celebrating a full two decades of national competition. Competitors face 19 races in the build-up to crowning the 15th Engen Volkswagen Cup champion this year.
“The Engen Volkswagen Cup championship is one of South Africa’s great success stories,” says Mike Rowe, head of Volkswagen Motorsport and one of the original Engen Volkswagen Cup competitors (when the series was making use of the original Volkswagen Polo Classic body).
“True motor racing is about close battles, demanding the very best in race driver skills. Engen Volkswagen Cup competition is all about showcasing these great skills and rewarding the racers who push themselves and their Volkswagen Polo race cars to the limit. It’s a basic motorsport package that demands driver commitment for success,” says Rowe. “This makes the series a perennial favourite for both the competitors and spectators.”
For the first time, Engen Volkswagen Cup racing will have a Volkswagen Motorsport-backed entry. Here Kuda Vazhure will compete with both VW Motorsport backing and support from the FIA (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile).
“With our increased focus on circuit racing this year, a number of racers will compete under Volkswagen Motorsport’s banner,” says Rowe. “Part of our motorsport program in 2016 will focus on transformation in motorsport and we are very fortunate to get support from the FIA for Kuda’s racing in Engen Volkswagen Cup. It is important for our sport to focus on transformation and the involvement of the FIA will attract international attention to the series this year. Continued attention from the rest of the world for our local racers can only be good for our motorsport initiatives.”
Since its inception, the Engen Volkswagen Cup series has made use of a Volkswagen Polo bodyshell as its base, but has regularly updated to keep the race car current with the Volkswagen Polo available to the public in the dealer showroom.
“Introducing the latest update to the Engen Volkswagen Cup in its 20th year of competition is a fantastic way to celebrate,” says Rowe. “A new car, a new season and a significant milestone – the promise this year holds could make it one of the most exciting seasons yet. With a few of our racers having scored multiple championship titles, the 2016 year will see us crown our 15th champion.”
Back in 1997, Marthinus Briers set the pace by winning the very first championship title – and then becoming the first racer to win back-to-back. In 2002 Tschops Sipuka won it the first time, becoming South Africa’s first national motorsport champion of colour – and then won again in 2003. Robert Briggs claimed the title in 2005 and 2006 while Mathew Hodges claimed consecutive titles in 2009 and 2010.
Sheldon van der Linde became the most recent Engen Volkswagen Cup competitor to win back-to-back titles when he won both the 2014 and 2015 titles.
“Engen Volkswagen Cup racing has developed a reputation for creating some of South Africa’s best new racing talent, ensuring national circuit racing has a constant stream of fresh racers ready to tackle any challenge,” says Rowe. “Over the years Engen Volkswagen Cup racers have moved on to other formulas, including production car racing, and the GTC field this year will be hard-pressed to find any racers that have not been behind the wheel of an Engen Volkswagen Cup Polo at some point in their career.”
The Engen Volkswagen Cup championship gets their 2016 season underway at Zwartkops Raceway on Saturday, March 19.