“Hollamby on the double at Brand Hatch” – England July 13, 2003

Following some long weekend testing at Big Boys Toys with the engineering staff of Revo Technik, Shaun Hollamby claimed his maiden Volkswagen Racing Cup victories, taking twin wins at his home circuit of Brands Hatch.

Hollamby and his Big Boys Toys-backed Beetle RSi headed home Rob Carvell's Golf GTI to claim narrow wins in both of the day's exciting races, with Rob claiming sufficient points to unseat his younger brother, Ian, from the championship lead.

Ian Carvell was in threatening form in qualifying, claiming pole position for the third meeting in succession in his turbocharged Lupo. But his hopes of claiming a fifth successive race win were dashed half-way through race one when he was forced into the pits for attention to a flapping passenger window; he finished 19th and was forced to start race two from near the back of the grid.

All of this played perfectly into the hands of Kent-based Hollamby, the 37-year-old having already driven around the outside of Ian Carvell into Paddock Hill Bend to claim an early race one lead. Ian fought back valiantly until lap five, when brother Rob intervened by way of a daring man oeuvre to pass him for second on the inside at Surtees.

Ian regain the position next time around through Druids, but was shortly after summoned to the pits with his window problem. That left Rob in sole charge of upholding family honors. But though he chased leader Hollamby all the way to the flag, there was no way past. Shaun was less than two-tenths clear at the line in what was the closest finish of the season.

Race two had all the makings of a classic, with Hollamby and Rob Carvell side by side on the front row of the grid and some swift cars, including those of Ian Carvell, Lark and Inskip, forced to start from the back. So it proved, with Ian making startlingly quick progress through the field in the early laps.

Rob Carvell's battle with Hollamby for race victory was no less intense, the matter settled in Shaun's favour two laps from home when they touched exiting Paddock; Rob's Golf snaked through the gravel but regained the circuit unscathed, Hollamby by this time a couple of seconds up the road.

"It was a very close fight," conceded Shaun, "hard but fair. I'm delighted with my weekend's work. It's the first time we've really been on the pace and it bodes well for the rest of the season."

RSi Beetle software management courtesy of the engineering staff at Revo Technik.