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RACE-WINNER FULBROOK RETURNS TO BID FOR TITLE

Joe Fulbrook - third-place finisher in the 2007 Volkswagen Racing Cup - is to return to the Hankook-backed championship leading a two-car team.

The 37-year-old from Berkshire will once again campaign the Warranty Direct Racing turbocharged Bora which he drove to three race victories last season, and he will be backed up by Beetle racer Paul Lloyd-Roach.

Both cars will be prepared by RP Motorsport under the direction of Russell Preston and Greg Nelson.

Fulbrook, who won on his debut in the championship in 2005 and who was in contention for the 2007 title up to the final round, is hopeful that this could be his season: 'But for a broken driveshaft at the end of the year I could have won the championship. The Bora is a good chassis, the engine is great and we have made big changes over the winter to the suspension so I believe that we can be competitive right from the word go.'

Isle of Man-based Lloyd-Roach, 44, is another Beetle racer to opt for 3.2-litre V6 power for 2008; his rivals Darren Blumson, Steve Chaplin and Martyn Culley will be similarly equipped. Other drivers who have recently signed to return include Silverstone-based race instructor Doug Ross, who will again pilot a 2-litre Polo; Leicestershire's Tony Harberman with his rapid VR6 Golf; and turbodiesel Caddy van racers Peter Wyhinny and Giles Lock.

With seven current-model Golf GTIs also lining up and several more top-flight competitors waiting in the wings, the prospects for a bumper grid at the opening rounds, at Oulton Park over the Easter weekend, are looking bright: 'We are expecting between 25 and 30 cars,' said Melissa Wright of Volkswagen Racing UK, 'and it will be a quality entry with a higher proportion of newly built cars than we have ever seen.'

The championship will this year be fought out over 14 rounds, each a supporting event to the British Formula 3 and British GT Championships.

The Volkswagen Racing Cup in association with Hankook is additionally supported by Augustus Martin, Castrol, ECM Vehicle Delivery, Milltek Sport, Mondial Assistance, KW Automotive, Superchips, TNT Logistics, Turbo Dynamics, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles and Volkswagen Financial Services UK

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