VW Cup: 1-2 for Father-Son Depper Duo at Donington

It would be a maiden Volkswagen Racing Cup win for Jack Depper. His battle through the order was made sweeter as his father and ex-BTCC racer, Martin Depper, joined him on the rostrum, concluding a spectacular return to the VW Cup for the 2019 front-runners.

There was drama at the start of the race as championship leader Richard Gilbert contacted and was spun by the TCT car of Tim Docker. The crash was enough to bring out the red flag as the JM Racing car had to be removed.

Championship returnee Howard Fuller had to start from the pitlane, pulling it into the pits after the formation lap. He would however make the second restart, giving him a golden opportunity to fight once more.

Upon the restart, Gilbert’s teammate Josh Coggan would once again line-up at the front, leading the cars through the first lap with the field breathing down his neck. Four laps in and the pressure came to a head, as Jack Depper pulled off the double overtake on Howard Fuller and Coggan.

Fuller fought back to briefly retake the lead before a slide into the chicane dropped him to fourth with just two minutes left to run.

This promoted the Depper duo into first and second, with father Martin acting as rear gunner to the elated Jack Depper. Recovering in the closing stages, Coggan hounded the leaders but could not find a way through, settling for third, with the podium split by under a second at the flag.

Crucially, in the championship fight, Andy Wilmot was the next to cross the line. Remaining a threat to Coggan during the middle of the race, the Team HARD driver preserved his tyres towards the end, pitting on the final lap, yet classifying fourth to take the championship lead away from Gilbert.

Finishing a lap down due the TCT race controlling the pace, Howard Fuller was disappointed to have dropped off the lead battle picking up fifth in his Golf, one place ahead of Bradley Kent and Paul Ivens, who had entered throughout with their position shifting. Unfortunately for Russell Joyce, a technical issue brought an early end to the race.

All Volkswagen Cup races will be broadcast across the internet, courtesy of the BRSCC, with each race happening simultaneously to the TCT/TCR UK Championship, ensuring prime coverage for the fans at home.