VW Cup: Back-to-Back Wins for Gilbert at Opening Oulton Round

It was a dream day for Richard Gilbert as the JM Racing driver took his second victory of the weekend in the Volkswagen Racing Cup. The sophomore year driver has come into his own on a wet Oulton Park circuit, holding off a late charge from sensational rookie Ollie Brown.

Brown, who only past his ARDS test 4 weeks ago was the biggest mover of the race, jumping seven places, though as a guest driver did not score points towards the championship.

The rain had stopped, but the circuit was far from dry as polesitter Jeff Alden made a clean start to hold onto his reverse grid position. He would hold it for the first lap until the JM Racing pair of Josh Coggan and Richard Gilbert once again found themselves at the sharp end.

Coggan soon found himself in the wars with Alden, whose driving in the middle of the race track ensured a queue had quickly formed. Coggan contacted the Matrix Motorsport driver into Hislops, pushing both off the track into Knickerbrook and allowing Andy Wilmot into the lead.

It proved to be short lived for the former-BTCC driver as the charging Gilbert was immediately on the back of him, charging after a second win in as many races. After watching Wilmot throughout the third lap, Gilbert used the Mk7’s superior traction to outdrive him into Britten’s with Oliver Brown following him through.

An anonymous race one for Brown was quickly replaced by a starring role in the second, jumping from eighth on the grid to second in only four laps. Not willing to stop there, the Team HARD scholarship driver was determined to prove his worth, hounding the points leader.

Gilbert though was eager to call upon his experience, making sure to keep an edge to the new face behind. The pair would cross the line under a second apart, but once again it was Richard Gilbert who took top honours in the spray of Cheshire.

Despite being displaced, Wilmot would come across the line in third place, completing a stellar weekend for the Maximum Motorsport driver and ensuring he remains very much in championship contention. Fourth would go to Mark Wakefield as he builds upon a solid race one performance to buoy his championship hopes.

Coggan came home in sixth but not before another on track contact, this time with Liam Griffin. His brother Kieran followed the JM Racing driver across the line as Tony Prendergast completed a quiet first weekend in his striking red and white Scirocco in seventh.

Bradley Kent was held up slightly by Alden’s return to the track after the third lap incident and could only manage eighth on a weekend that promised a lot more. As the recovering Liam Griffin, Paul Dehadray and William Butler completed the finishers.