CAYGILL AWARDED COVETED SLOT INPRESTIGIOUS NEW AUDI SPORT TT CUP
British racing driver Josh Caygill is celebrating after being awarded a coveted place on the starting grid for the all-new Audi Sport TT Cup which replaces the Volkswagen Scirocco R Cup this year as part of the support package to the prestigious DTM touring car series.
Thrilled to have been chosen as one of just 18 permanent entrants into the exciting one-make championship, with no fewer than 165 applications from across the globe having been received by category organisers, the 25-year-old from Netherton is also the sole UK representative on the grid.
Caygill, who is only entering his third year of car racing having previously been a competitive motorcyclist at British championship level, is absolutely elated to have secured one of the hotly pursued Audi Sport TT Cup berths and determined to make the most of the opportunity.
Importantly, he aims to repay the faith shown in him by Audi Sport and the selection panel which included professional racer Markus Winkelhock, Le Mans 24 Hours winner Marco Werner and ex-rally driver Sepp Haider.
“It’s absolutely amazing news I’ve been awarded a place on the TT Cup grid for the first season of the championship, I can’t thank everyone at Audi enough for such an incredible opportunity”, said the West Yorkshireman, “The car looks unbelievable, if it drives half as good as it looks then it’s going to be absolutely incredible.”
Run by quattro GmbH, each of the 2.0-litre, 310hp cars will be prepared by a central team of Audi Sport personnel and the brand new category will get underway on 2nd/3rd May at Hockenheim in Germany. It will then visit four other venues alongside the DTM before returning to Hockenheim for the finale on 17th/18th October.
Two TT Cup races will be contested at each track and aside from the Hockenheim events the championship will also race at fellow German venues the Norisring street circuit, Oschersleben and the Nurburgring. Austria’s Red Bull Ring also forms part of the 12 round calendar mid-season.
Caygill, of course, has experience of the aforementioned venues from his maiden season in the now defunct Scirocco R Cup. Dovetailing a programme in the pan-European series alongside involvement in the UK-based VW Racing Cup, where he also piloted a Scirocco, the Briton hopes his second year of racing on the continent will be a successful one.
He said: “Obviously the Audi is a new car to learn but we’ve got a bit of a head start with the track knowledge from last year in the Scirocco. It’s going to be an amazing season, over the next few months I’ll be working really hard on my fitness and just preparing as well as I possibly can to make the most of it all.”
Provisional 2015 Audi Sport TT Cup Calendar:2nd/3rd May – Hockenheim, Germany27th/28th June – Norisring, Germany1st/2nd August – Red Bull Ring, Austria12th/13th September – Oschersleben, Germany26th/27th September – Nurburgring, Germany17th/18th October – Hockenheim, Germany
