VRC: Impressive weekend for Steve Chaplin at Snetterton |  |
- VRC: Impressive weekend for Steve Chaplin at Snetterton
- New awards for the SEAT Alhambra in Spain and Europe
- WTCC: Tiago Monteiro on the podium at Monza
- DTM: Audi’s Mike Rockenfeller wins in Zandvoort
- Volkswagen to Sell Up to 1.5 Billion Yuan of Dim Sum Bonds
| VRC: Impressive weekend for Steve Chaplin at Snetterton Posted: 16 May 2011 01:00 PM PDT Reigning champion Steve Chaplin and rapid front-runner Aaron Mason made it four different winners from the first four rounds of the 2011 Volkswagen Racing Cup with FUCHS Lubricants at an action-packed Snetterton in Norfolk over the weekend. Marking the championship’s first visit to the new ‘300’ circuit configuration, the racing was as unpredictable as ever, although Chaplin, Mason and Steve Wood filled the podium for each encounter. Wood, who has returned to the championship full-time this year in his Mk V Golf GTI, was the star of qualifying with a dominant performance and he backed this up with a very close second to Chaplin in round three, and third in round four. Most importantly though, Wood opted to play his points-doubling ‘Joker’ ahead of Saturday afternoon’s race and so he has rocketed into the championship lead on 186 points, ahead of Mason, who played his Joker for round four. Following the opening two rounds at Oulton Park last month, former double champion Joe Fulbrook was tied at the top of the standings with James Walker but the Bora driver didn’t have the best of weekends in East Anglia. After a slide and subsequent spin at the Esses on the opening lap of round three, which resulted in contact with Mason, Fulbrook failed to score with a penultimate lap retirement. However, a superb drive through from 18th on the grid on Sunday was rewarded with an excellent sixth place. The weekend marked the first appearance of the fantastic new Caddy Van Racer in the hands of Simon Elliott, who achieved 11th and 14th place finishes. Meanwhile, front-runner Peter Felix left the track even before qualifying got underway on Saturday due to problems which his Golf developed in testing. Round 3 Chaplin managed to nose ahead of pole-sitter Wood at the beginning of the opening encounter while fourth-placed starter Mason surged into the top three as they headed to Riches, before getting ahead of Wood soon after. Behind the leaders, contact in the mid-pack involving the Scirocco of Kieran Griffin and the Golfs of Richard Morgan and Martyn Walsh resulted in all three retiring on the spot – it also ended Morgan’s involvement in the remainder of the weekend. Through the infield Chaplin held the lead in his ‘Herbie’ Beetle RSI, just fending off the rapid Mason out of Agostini shortly before the latter’s storming start to the race really came unstuck through no fault of his own. As he made his way through the second part of the Esses, Mason’s Golf was collected by the Bora of Joe Fulbrook, which bounced across the grass sideways after an unfortunate moment heading into the turn. Mason rejoined 10th while Fulbrook continued until his car expired on lap nine. Chaplin and Wood were well clear of the chasing pack due to Mason’s removal from the equation but the fight for third didn’t take a back seat – father and son Richard and James Walker in a great scrap with the impressive Tim Snaylam. Mason continued his charge back up the order and after going fifth on lap five at the expense of James he quickly scythed his way past Richard and Snaylam as they dueled at Riches on lap six. Mason then ousted Walker Snr from third at Riches on lap seven to complete his tremendous recovery to the podium – a slim hope at best midway through lap one. Second placed Wood began to encounter problems with his ECU, causing him to lose time, so to post the fastest lap and hustle Chaplin all the way was a measure of his performance, just 0.3 seconds splitting the pair in the end. Behind the top three, Richard Walker remained ahead of son James by a couple of seconds while Peter Lettinga rounded off a superb race in sixth ahead of Zoe Wenham and Thomas Wilson. Snaylam had to settle for ninth after two spins and the Caddy was just outside the top 10 on its 2011 debut in 11th place. “Fortunately for me Steve had a problem with his ECU cutting out,” said Chaplin. “He’s a formidable competitor and he’ll have a go if he has half a chance so I was mindful of that but also mindful of driving my own race.” Wood added: “Luckily we had a bit of a gap to the cars behind. The ECU cut out a few times but with a quick flick of the engine off and on I was able to catch back up to Steve within a lap or so. I didn’t want to try anything too aggressive against my team-mate though.” “The knock I had on the front of the car put the tracking out but that did give me amazing traction for the right-handers”, explained third placed Mason, “so I was able to pick people off quite easily on the brakes.” Round 4 With the top-six finishers reversed on the grid for the second race, Dutchman Lettinga lined up on pole position and he made a terrific getaway to lead before being bundled back to fourth a couple of corners later. Mason shot away from the second row and displaced both Walkers at Riches before taking the lead into the infield as Lettinga dropped positions. Soon after, the pole man was also passed by Chaplin and Wood, demoting him to sixth. Team-mates Chaplin and Wood continued their good progress by getting ahead of James Walker, but behind the lead bunch there was a substantial gap to the remainder of the field following a multi-car tangle early in the race. Through the mayhem came Fulbrook, a tremendous start already gaining him 10 places, and he closed down a substantial time deficit over the course of the race to be within just 0.1 seconds of fifth at the flag. By lap three, Chaplin was really on the move and starting to close rapidly on Mason, with Wood third ahead of the Walkers, Richard still leading James, and Lettinga in sixth. Chaplin then took the lead before turning into Riches at the beginning of lap four but Mason didn’t let him pull away. On the fifth tour, though, the leader ran wide exiting Williams which allowed not only Mason through to retake first place but also promoted Wood to second. On lap six, it was Wood’s turn to go a little wide – this time at the hairpin – and so Chaplin moved back to second some 2.5 seconds adrift of Mason. The Beetle driver produced a series of ultra-quick laps to get right back on Mason’s case but although rain started to fall during the last lap or two, the Golf runner held on strongly to win and – with the aid of his ‘Joker’ – move up to second in the championship behind Wood. “It did become quite greasy towards the end, it was a case of just hanging on and taking things that bit easier,” reported Mason. “I was worried about my fifth gear for the last two laps – it was going in but it was clunking. Thankfully it held on. It’s a great way to finish the weekend, I’m really happy.” Chaplin was just 0.138 seconds shy of Mason at the flag with Wood third and leading home Richard and James Walker. The impressive Fulbrook was sixth from Lettinga, Griffin, Walsh and Mark Howard, with Peter Wyhinny’s SEAT Leon 11th and Elliott’s Caddy 14th. “I hadn’t really noticed the rain to be fair although it did back Aaron up a bit and things were a bit skatey,” said Chaplin. “I pushed to try to make a move on him but he drove a cracking race, he deserved the win.” - Volkswagen Racing Cup Related posts:
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| New awards for the SEAT Alhambra in Spain and Europe Posted: 16 May 2011 11:56 AM PDT The SEAT Alhambra has been collecting awards and prizes since its launch last September. Just recently, the Spanish brand’s model has received three more important distinctions, one from home and two from the UK, which are further proof of the new Alhambra’s quality, flexibility and outstanding value for money.
Once again, the Spanish model’s impressive credentials received the highest praise, earning it a first-place win at the 2nd edition of the Ecomotor Awards organized by the El Economista newspaper, where the SEAT Alhambra scored 13.97% of the votes to out-rival first runner-up Ford C-Max with 12.23% and third-place Peugeot 5008 with 10.66% of the total votes. The awards ceremony took place this morning at the Barcelona Motor Show, where the SEAT delegation was headed by SEAT Spain director Vicente Adrian, who also accepted the award. In his speech, Adrian said “it is a great honor to accept this award for the SEAT Alhambra, which is equipped with ground-breaking technology that re-defines functionality, dynamics and safety, three factors that make it a new benchmark model in its segment.” He went on to say that “the Alhambra will no doubt be one of our most valuable cars in the upcoming years.” Two new distinctions in the UKThe SEAT Alhambra is also causing a sensation in the rest of Europe, scooping up two significant wins on the same day in the UK, where the Alhambra was named Best MPV by both Fleet World and Diesel Car. The Fleet World Honours are presented annually to those motor manufacturers who have, in the opinion of the judges, achieved excellence in their sector. Meanwhile, specialist motoring title Diesel Car crowned the Alhambra with its Best MPV title for its “stylish design, roominess and practicality”. Diesel Car focuses on the diesel car market but also reports on alternatively fueled and eco-friendly vehicles, confirming the efficiency of the Alhambra engine line-up. These excellent results are mirrored in the Euro NCAP crash tests, where the SEAT Alhambra received the highest possible score of a 5 star rating. An enticing offerThe SEAT Alhambra range is available in Reference and Style trim, and features an extensive equipment package even on the basic version that includes 7 airbags (2 front, 2 side, 2 headbags and 1 driver kneebag), ESP + EBA, front passenger airbag disconnection, driver-controlled electronic rear door blocking, low tyre pressure indicator, rear seat Isofix anchoring points and Top Tether, 205/60 tires on 16 inch steel wheels, body color door mirrors with integrated LED turning lights, sliding rear doors, electric park brake and SEAT Sound System 1.0 with 4 speakers, among many other elements. New Alhambra prize list since its launch
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| WTCC: Tiago Monteiro on the podium at Monza Posted: 16 May 2011 11:43 AM PDT SEAT driver Tiago Monteiro finished third and forth in the third round of FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) at Monza (Italy). In the first race an exciting fight, though very fair, was fought for third place between Tiago Monteiro, Norbert Michelisz, Tom Coronel and Kristian Poulsen. The conclusion saw Monteiro sprinting in his SEAT Leon 2.0 TDI ahead of Michelisz by 0.030 seconds to grab the final spot on the podium. In the second round Monteiro was the best driver of a SEAT again. He finished fourth – just 6.211 seconds behind winner Robert Huff. - Volkswagen Motorsport Related posts:
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| DTM: Audi’s Mike Rockenfeller wins in Zandvoort Posted: 16 May 2011 08:09 AM PDT Mike Rockenfeller has added another win to his impressive resume. In 2007 Rockenfeller became a factory Audi driver in the DTM. He joined the Audi Sport Team Rosberg. In his debut year, he would finish 12th. He would go on to place as high as 4th in the Championships in 2009. His only two podium spots would be in 2007 and 2010 claiming third in both. With an outstanding performance, “Rocky” can now add a win to the list. Testing showed he had the speed at Zandvoort and he carried that over into qualifying. With a great start, Rockenfeller was able to jump in front of second place Jamie Green. He would then pit on lap 11 before Spengler (lap 13) but remained in second. Spengler would then pit on lap 23 and come out ahead of Green. Rockenfeller hit his second pitstop on lap 24, however tensions rises as his pit takes longer than normal. Oddly, he comes out ahead of Spengler for first place. From this point on, Rockenfeller led the remaining 17 laps unchallenged and a clear 1.4 seconds over Spengler. Even with no points scored at Hockenheim, Rockenfeller now sits in second on the board.
A great motorsport weekend for Audi: A few hours after a 1-2-3-4 success of the Audi R8 LMS at the ADAC GT Masters at the Sachsenring Le Mans winner Mike Rockenfeller clinched the first victory of the 2011 DTM season at Zandvoort (the Netherlands) for Audi. For Audi this marked the fifth exploit at Zandvoort since the brand’s return to the DTM with a “factory” commitment in 2004, for Mike Rockenfeller its was the first ever triumph in the most popular international touring car racing series. The 2010 Le Mans winner laid the foundation for his win by making a perfect start which allowed him to push himself between Bruno Spengler and Jamie Green. By making an early first pit stop “Rocky” managed to overtake Spengler as well. He then managed to gain a lead of up to three seconds in a perfectly setup A4 DTM of Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline and to control the pace at the front of the field. “I feel relieved,” commented the 27-year-old. “The race at Hockenheim was frustrating. But we found the problem and did a perfect job of converting our findings into a success here. My thanks go to my team and to Audi. Both stops and the strategy were fantastic and my car was really fast. In the end I was even able to play it safe.” With Martin Tomczyk from Audi Sport Team Phoenix finishing in third place, two Audi drivers mounted the podium at Zandvoort. The by far fastest driver of a year-old car lost some time at his first pit stop but then made up ground again and bumped Jamie Green from third place in a remarkable maneuver seven laps before the finish. “My car had been superbly prepared and was incredibly quick,” said Tomczyk. “At times I almost felt like I was in a different league. It’s nice to be among the front runners and in contention for the championship with a 2008-spec car.” The Audi racer even closed the gap to the leader of the standings, Bruno Spengler, on the penultimate lap but was unable to overtake him. Timo Scheider in fifth place scored valuable points. The current Formula 3 Champion Edoardo Mortara (Audi Sport Team Rosberg) on position six finished in the points as early as at his second DTM race and was thus the best DTM rookie in the field. A remarkable performance was also shown by Mattias Ekström. After a disappointing qualifying session the Swede pushed forward to eighth place from position 16 on the grid and, as a result, scored one point. Oliver Jarvis completed the top ten. Miguel Molina and Rahel Frey finished the race on positions 15 and 17. Filipe Albuquerque slipped into the gravel trap in the notorious Tarzanbocht at the start and subsequently had to park his Audi A4 DTM with a damaged radiator. “Despite the fact that qualifying wasn’t optimal we knew that our performance is good,” commented Head of Audi Motors Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “We were optimistic that we’d even be able to win from the second row of the grid. On the whole, our cars were very quick today – thanks to the great job and hard work done by the whole squad. ‘Rocky’ drove a commanding race. Martin (Tomczyk) attacked superbly. To ‘Edo’ I take my hat off. He clinched points as early as at his second DTM race. And we did a good job of moving ‘Eki’ forward too. It was a fantastic performance overall!”                                                                                                                                                                          - Audi Motorsport Related posts:
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| Volkswagen to Sell Up to 1.5 Billion Yuan of Dim Sum Bonds Posted: 16 May 2011 07:49 AM PDT Volkswagen AG (VOW) plans to sell as much as 1.5 billion yuan ($231 million) of five-year bonds in Hong Kong as soon as today, becoming the first foreign car company to issue so-called Dim Sum bonds. Volkswagen intends to price the bonds to yield between 2 percent and 2.25 percent, Andreas Hoffbauer, a Beijing-based spokesman for Volkswagen, said today. Bank of China Ltd., HSBC Holdings Plc and Standard Chartered Plc are managing the sale of the senior, unsecured notes, according to a person familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified because the details are private. Companies have sold 40.5 billion yuan of so-called Dim Sum bonds this year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The Wolfsburg, Germany-based automaker has a 12.8 percent share of the passenger car market in China, according to industry analyst J.D. Power & Associates. “The demand in the Dim Sum market is still very strong,” said Kristine Li, Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc’s Singapore- based chief financial strategist for Asia ex-Australia. “Volkswagen is a really good quality name. If the yield is good, it offers scarcity value.” China is allowing greater use of its currency in global trade to reduce reliance on the dollar and opened the offshore yuan bond market in Hong Kong in February last year. Caterpillar Inc., the world’s biggest maker of construction equipment, sold 1 billion yuan of two-year bonds in Hong Kong in November after McDonald’s Corp. sold 200 million yuan of three year notes in September. BYD Co., the Chinese carmaker backed by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc., sold 1 billion yuan of three-year yuan- denominated bonds at a coupon of 4.5 percent through a Hong Kong unit in April. “The Dim Sum bond market is new and because the investor base has been mainly banks and retail the maturity has been mainly two to three years,” Li said. “Fund managers only recently became active in this market. For the five year you will have to get more returns on the table for investors. If they can get a decent yield, there should be good demand.” Volkswagen started its first joint venture in the country in 1984, according to its website. The bonds, guaranteed by the automaker, are being sold by Volkswagen International Finance NV, Hoffbauer said. - Bloomberg Related posts:
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