Zoe fights against the odds at Snetterton

Resident Columnists

Zoë Wenham continued her 2010 VW Cup adventure last weekend when the series moved to Snetterton in Norfolk.

As there have been various problems with developing her VW Polo which was brand new this season, the decision was taken for this round to switch to a VW Golf run by Slidesports.

This proved to be a good decision during testing on Saturday during testing when Zoë was at her most competitive so far. A damaged gearbox cut short her test session, but things were looking good with Zoë hoping to make progress up the grid in qualifying.

Full of hope, Zoë left the pits at the strart of qualifying but as she began to push the car it made a horrible metallic noise and the ECU put the car into “limp home” mode. Zoë immediately returned to the pits where it became clear there was engine problem. It would take longer than the session time to even diagnose the problem fully so Zoë was sent out to do three very slow laps to be sure of qualifying so she’d be able to start the race, albeit from last place.

After the session the team examined the car, it appeared that the gearbox problem the day before had caused some previously unseen damage to the engine which hadn’t shown up until it had been put under strain at the start of the session. This was extremely bad news for Zoë as there was no chance of repairing it at the track and there was no spare engine to replace it with. It seemed like Zoë’s race weekend was over.

However, Racing Line another team in the paddock heard about Zoë’s plight and generously offered Zoë the use of another Golf to enable her to race. It was a left hand drive car and had a different gearbox so it would take some getting used to, but at least Zoë could compete and continue to gain experience.

The first race began with a damp track and very threatening looking clouds. Zoë got a great start and passed several cars during the first lap. The clouds then started to empty their contents making the track very slippery and several drivers went spinning off. Zoë held it together and wasn’t far off the front running pack.

Unfortunately on the very last lap, the car lost grip unexpectedly in the Russell chicane, putting Zoë into a series of lurid slides and eventually a spin towards the pit wall. She managed to keep the car from hitting anything and only lost two positions crossing the line in 16th place.

Race two later in the day was in much better weather, with blue skies and a completely dry track. The race had to be stopped initially as two cars had a crash on the run to the first corner. Zoë got away well from the second start and drove as hard as she could, still adjusting to the new car. She got faster with every lap and crossed the line in 13th.

To get two points finishes after nearly not being able to compete at all was an excellent result and Zoë had gained some useful experience in different weather conditions. The next race for the series is at Brands Hatch near the end of September and it’s not currently clear what Zoë will compete in. Whatever happens you can be sure she’ll give it maximum effort! Hopefully she’ll finally get the luck she deserves. Photos and report by Marc Waller Girlracer magazine