The Westfield Cup is 'pure' racing
180pk with only 570kg. Helmet in the open air. Buttocks practically on the asphalt. Hard but fair races with a large starting field. Costs that are manageable. But what about exactly? What do you have to do to get into this race series? What are the budgets approximately? Where do you start?
Since 2008, the Netherlands has had a cup that is characterized by 'pure' racing. Purely because everything on the car has been sacrificed to the principles of her ancestor, the Lotus Seven: 'Simplify, the naddlightness'. No roof, not even a windscreen, no ABS or other computers, but a relatively large amount of power, rear-wheel drive and a real exhaust roar. You will notice a spectacular mix. In this gentlemens cup, hard but fair fighting is done for every meter of asphalt. On average, around 30 drivers start per race, and 2019 races are driven in 24. The Westfield Rijders Vereniging has set itself the goal of growing the Cup even further.
The Westfield is a car specially prepared for races that is powered by an 2 liter Ford Zetec Blacktop with 180pk. The top therefore runs lap times of 1: 57 on Zandvoort. Performance is important, but safety is just as important. The car has a roll cage, six-point seat belts, a fire extinguishing system, etc. so that is good.
How's it going?
Riding in the open air is an experience, you see, hear and feel everything. The ferry routes are short, the car is great. Switching is short and precise. The outlet is roaring. In less than 5 seconds you are on the 100. Depending on the setting, you drive under or upset. The Cup has strict technical regulations. The purpose of this is to create a class that is as similar as possible, so that it comes down to the driver and not his or her budget.
Zandvoort, 30 June: another win for De Groot
The third event of the 2019 Westfield Cup Against Cancer was won by Dennis de Groot (JS Motorsport). Willem Vriend (MB Motorsport) takes second place, Mark Jobst (RAEK Racing) third.
As always at Zandvoort, there was no free training
Dennis de Groot proved supreme with a long one-second lead. An ultimate lap by Mark Jobst reduced this difference to 0.4 second. Yves Deplus set the third fastest time.
De Groot applied his standard tactics: starting off at the start and winning sovereignly. The duels were behind him: Jobst, Deplus, Ronald Lenters and Willem Vriend competed for place two; In the end, Vriend took this place for Jobst.
Nothing new under the sun
The second race, also under a cloudless and sunny sky, was a prey for De Groot according to the well-known recipe. This time Jobst, Lenters, Vriend and Deplus also competed for the second position. A little further in the field it was the Dullaarts (Rover, Floris, Daan and Sander) who caused a fight. De Groot wins, ahead of Jobst and Vriend.
Copy paste
The third race was a copy-paste case for De Groot, with Deplus close to his heels this time. Mark Jobst fell back to sixth position due to technical problems, but Lenters and Vriend made it extremely exciting by crossing the finish line closely together. A disqualification of Lenters placed Friend in second place, before Deplus.
The overall victory was for De Groot. Friend takes second place for Jobst. De Groot also leads for Friend and Jobst in the championship.
The next event of the Westfield Cup Against Cancer is on 12 and 13 July on that other F1 circuit in the Benelux: Spa-Francorchamps.
Text: Ivan Kok
Photos: Margo van Toor.
