Pepper’s finest racing moment

Jordan Pepper, the youngest driver in the German ADAC Volkswagen Scirocco-R Cup, scored the most important win of his career.

The 17-year-old from Midrand won round six of the popular championship at the Nurburgring Grand Prix circuit on 18 August.

Pepper said, “That was the longest race I have ever led. I kept calm and even had a few ‘push to pass’ uses left. I made a few mistakes that allowed Fahnauer to get onto my bumper but I managed to pull away again.”

Pepper converted his disappointing 13th fastest in the qualifier to eighth place on 17 August which allowed him to start the final on 18 August in pole position. He judged the start and led into the first corner. Although he successfully defended a couple of challenges when the track was slippery, he was in control of the race from then onwards.

A light drizzle made conditions tricky but Pepper reeled off the 14-laps without putting a foot wrong, to cross the line a few car lengths clear of Manuel Fahnauer and Kasper Jensen. The race was regarded as the most exciting of the season so far.

The result puts Pepper back into the lead of the Junior Cup championship and he has leapfrogged up to second place, behind fellow South African Kelvin van der Linde in the overall standings.

Pepper said, “It was great having my mom here, she was in Welkom when my sister Tasmin won the Engen Volkswagen Cup race a few weeks ago. She is good luck! I also want to say a special thank you to Gavin Vareges of Blue Label Telecoms, PG Glass and everyone else who made it possible.”

Pepper qualified for the Scirocco-R Cup in May after he was awarded a “Rookie” seat finishing third in the Engen Volkswagen Cup where he was top rookie. Official timing data from the test had him in the top three just behind van der Linde who was the overall quickest for the first day.

The Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup season started on 4 May at Hockenheim.

A memorable moment was in June when Pepper won the Junior Cup class at the second event in the ADAC Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup at Austria’s Red Bull Ring Spielberg circuit.