22nd July 2020

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After holding third place in race one and leading in the early stages of race two, a podium position during the first Volkswagen Racing Cup meeting of the season was well-and-truly on the cards for Jeff Alden. That was until a significant case of wrong-place, wrong-time struck the Matrix Motorsport driver.

 

Having entered the previous weekend’s Time Attack meeting at Oulton Park in dry and sunny conditions, the value of the time spent on track was somewhat diluted when rain fell throughout Saturday’s meeting. However, Jeff put his circuit knowledge to good use and qualified in sixth place.

 

A well-judged start in the first race saw Jeff hold third place for the opening lap before being caught out in the wet conditions and although doing well to hang on to the his MKL supported Golf on the treacherous surface, he eventually crossed the line where he began, in sixth place.

 

Boosted by what in this closely fought championship for VAG models and from pole position due to the reverse-grid start, a sharp getaway in race two saw Jeff hold on to his advantage until lap three. However, as he defended his position under braking for the Knickerbrook chicane, he was hit from behind and launched into a stack of tyres.

 

Although able to get back on the track, the damage sustained meant his VW was going no further and having manged to get back to the pits, Jeff had no choice but to retire from the race.

 

‘Whilst the end result and loss of points from the race two isn’t ideal, I’m extremely pleased to be up there battling for the top positions. The Maximum Motorsport team did a great job of setting up the car – especially in the wet and slippery conditions. Without the issues I’m confident a podium finish was on the cards, but I’ll have to wait until next time.”

 

There’s now an eight-week gap before the VW Racing Cup reconvenes at Silverstone for rounds three and four of this year’s delayed and compact six-round season.

 

Jeff's 2020 motorsport campaign is supported by MKL Innovation, HVAC Recruitment, DE Data, Inspired Business Media, Old Cottage Beer Company, RPM Promotions and Global Go.

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Photos by Jakob Ebrey Photography