The first of eight rounds of Engen Volkswagen Polo Cup competition took place at Zwartkops Raceway on Saturday. Sheldon van der Linde won the championship last year – but it would be hard to tell based on his performance this past weekend.
Instead of a relaxed start to the season, he’s not resting on his laurels. Van der Linde set the tone for the weekend right from qualifying – by being fastest out on track. He also drew pole position in the draw, then proceeded to win each of the three races, ultimately claiming first overall for the day.
Running under the Extreme Festival banner this year, with a change to Dunlop tyres and an update to resemble the Volkswagen Polo Vivo GT, the series continues with a Junior and Masters championship – and total prize money of R200 000. The first of the racers to get a taste of this money was Masters competitor Juan Gerber who was named Driver of the Day for his performance out on track.
In previous seasons the Masters competitors ran their own race within the Polo Cup pack, but increasingly they vie for the lead of the overall race. With the three-race format used at Zwartkops, seven times Masters appear in the top five finishers with Juan Gerber (third in race two and three), Trevor Bland and Mathew Hodges (third in race one and the overall Masters winner for the day) consistently hounding the leading racers.
In the opening round it appears as if Van der Linde is going to be a regular at the top of the podium this season, but he could find his title defense under threat from a racer with a Master plan …
It is not just the Masters that Van der Linde will have to contend with. Tasmin Pepper (second in race one and three), Shaun La Réserveé (second in race two) and Daniel Rowe were also amongst the top five during those three races and each is already eyeing that championship title.
With a six-week break before the Polo racers appear on track for the second round of their championship – at Killarney on Saturday, 11 April – it is likely that race strategy is going to feature just as strongly as mechanical preparation for round two of the season.