Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup
Round 7
Brands Hatch, Great Britain
Maiken Rasmussen, the young Dane selected by Volkswagen Motorsport and the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission to contest the 2011 Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup, suffered an accident during the Brands Hatch race this weekend, failing to finish the seventh round of the series run on the 1.9 kilometre Indy circuit.
After an encouraging test session on Friday in which she set fifth fastest time, Maiken qualified 14th from the 28 drivers on the grid, which this weekend included British race and rally legends such as Johnny Herbert, Mark Blundell, Tiff Needell and Mark Higgins. Starting the race in 17th position - following a grid penalty incurred at the Nürburgring - the Dane climbed two places but ended up hitting a car that had spun in front of her on the third corner, forcing her into retirement. Fortunately, after precautionary checks, Maiken was released by medical personnel without injury.
“After a good practice session I was confident for qualifying, but with so many cars on a small track there was a lot of traffic and it was hard to get a free lap,” said Maiken. “I then had a really good start to the race where I moved up two places. But a car spun in the third corner and there was nothing I could do. The race was over for me; a weekend of good and bad moments. I am now looking forward to the race at Oschersleben; this will be the first race of the season where I know the circuit.”
The nine-race 2011 Scirocco R-Cup is one of the world’s most eco-conscious one-make series thanks to its bio natural gas powered engine. The eighth and ninth rounds of the series take the crews to the Oschersleben circuit in Germany (16-18 September).