GOLF GTI SURPRISES AT KNOCKHILL

A Volkswagen driven by Stuart Scott and Steve Wood made British motorsport history today (Sun) when it became the first-ever front-wheel-drive car to contest a round of the British GT Championship.

The Gulf Air-backed Golf GTI was in action at Knockhill, where it claimed some impressive scalps in the championship's GTC class.

In the first of the day's 40-minute races, Scott and Wood claimed a fine fifth in class, two laps behind the class-winning Porsche GT3 and ahead of a Ferrari 360 and a Lotus Elise.

They went one better in the second race, taking fourth in class at the chequered flag, this time behind a brace of Morgan Aero 8s and a Ferrari.

"We were really chuffed by the Golf's performance," said Ruislip-based Wood. "The Volkswagen more than held its own against some very much more powerful machinery, and the crowds loved seeing it in action.

"We were looking set for a podium placing in the second race until one of the Morgans nipped past a couple of laps from the end, but that was our only disappointment."

So successful was their foray that the duo plans to give the 1.8-litre turbo Golf, which is backed by Gulf Air, ART and Cambridge Business Travel, another British GT Championship outing in a fortnight's time at Silverstone.

"We will be looking at ways of extracting some more power from the engine," said Cambridge-based Scott, "so that we'll have the straightline speed necessary for Silverstone. The Golf should go well there."

12 May 2003