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Michael Stephen A1 - Audi S4 - Terry Moss Racing

Tschops Sipuka A2 - Audi S4 - Terry Moss Racing

Melvill Priest A7 - Audi S4 - VMP Motorsport

Gennaro Bonafede A32 - Audi S4 - Ferodo Racing Team / VMP Motorsport

Saturday, 27 April 2013

Audi S4 quattros eager for Zwartkops challenge

Audi South Africa Press Release

THE Audi S4 quattro racers head into round four of the season on a high note. Good performances have marked all three of their outings so far this season and, as they head back to altitude after two coastal race meetings, anticipation is high they will continue in their winning ways.

Thanks to their performances so far this season the Audi S4 quattro quartet have ensured that Audi is leading the Manufacturers' Championship by 48 points after just three rounds.

At the sharp end of the charge is the defending champion Michael Stephen (A1 – Engen Xtreme) who is successfully defending his title and leading the 2013 championship standings. Stephen is 21 points ahead in the standings and heads inland on a high thanks to his first overall result on his home track in Port Elizabeth.

Third overall is none other than Stephen's teammate, Tschops Sipuka (A2 – Engen Xtreme). Sipuka has put in some solid performances this year and he trails second place by just two points going into the fourth round of the season. With such a small gap Sipuka will be focused on another good result to climb another step on the 2013 ladder – and further Audi S4 quattro domination of the Bridgestone Production Car series.

Just a single point behind Sipuka is Melvill Priest (A7 – Mueller Sports Medicine) who holds fourth place overall in Class A of the championship. Priest finished the Scribante event, round three of the championship, in second place – just behind the defending champion. Zwartkops is his opportunity for another strong finish – and Priest is all too eager to rise to the challenge.

Gennaro Bonafede (A32 – Ferodo Racing) currently holds sixth in the championship, but needs just two points to move ahead and claim fifth. This would put all of the Audi S4 quattro racers within the top five of the championship standings. Bonafede has produced good results this season and Zwartkops is his opportunity to push the tables further in his favour.

The four Audi S4 quattro racers will be racing to win at Zwartkops and motorsport fans can look forward to maximum competition as they challenge for every point available at the event.

Audi South Africa

Photos by MotorPics

More information:

Bridgestone Production Cars on Facebook
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Michael Stephen A1 - Audi S4 - Terry Moss Racing

Tschops Sipuka A2 - Audi S4 - Terry Moss Racing

Melvill Priest A7 - Audi S4 - VMP Motorsport

Gennaro Bonafede A32 - Audi S4 - Ferodo Racing Team / VMP Motorsport

Monday, 8 April 2013

Audi S4 quattros in dominant PE performance‏

Audi South Africa Press Release

THE Audi S4 quattro proved itself again at round three of the Super Series. The Port Elizabeth event saw the quartet of racers feature in each of the three races on the day – with a dominant finish for the Audi S4 quattro in the results.

For the championship leader – and title defender – Michael Stephen (A1 – Engen Xtreme) – the PE round saw him compete in front of his home crowd. Their support spurred him on to claim pole position in qualifying and lead race one from start to finish. He also set the fastest lap in that first race, repeating that feat in the second race as well.

With a reversed grid based on the finishing positions from race one, this put Stephen into a sixth place start which translated into a fourth place finish. Race three saw Stephen in a fight with fellow Audi S4 quattro competitor Melvill Priest (A7 – Mueller Sports Medicine). The two were involved in a fast-paced fight for position that nevertheless saw them pull away from the field.

“PE was the right place to put in another good performance for us,” says Stephen. “We had a tyre strategy for the weekend and it played out the right way for us. It is a bit of a gamble using good tyres for race two which sacrifices them for race three or alternately you start further back and have good tyres on a track where it is difficult to pass.”

Priest qualified for the PE races in third place and finished in second place, just behind Stephen, in that first race. In race two Priest finished on the podium again, this time in third place

“In race three I wasn't going to try anything brave against Michael,” says Priest. “In the feature races I haven't been scoring well so it was important to capitalise on the double-points available here. We've been working hard as a team to have a weekend like this, so it actually feels like a win.”

Priest finished in second place in the final race and second overall for the day, just behind Stephen and just ahead of Tschops Sipuka. Sipuka's performance in PE saw him cross the line for fifth in race one and he followed this with a win in the second race. His local fans give him a hero's welcome for that race victory which, thanks to a third place finish in the final race saw him in third place overall for the day.

“I don't believe anyone has seen a race celebration like that before,” says Sipuka, referring to his fans' reaction to the second race victory. “We just had to find our way in that first race. It put us in a good place for race two – it was a good way to please our spectators and everyone who came from all over, including the Transkei, to support us.”

“In the final race, it was a question of holding on to third place. I just drove my line but there would be no gap there, I made sure of that.”

The racer trying to get past Sipuka was Gennaro Bonafede (A32 – Ferodo Racing) in the final of the Audi S4 quattros. Bonafede improved consistently throughout the event, moving from sixth to fifth to fourth in each of the races, ensuring that when the flag dropped on the final race of the day it was an Audi S4 quattro in each of the first four places – the same as the starting grid which was an all Audi S4 quattro affair.

“The whole race day was like a war,” says Bonafede. “Tschops and I raced hard, he had the pace but he blocked me on every corner as well. I just couldn't get past him. It was a hectic weekend, but I've got solid points today. It was a tough weekend and if I did get past Tschops, I might have been able to stick with the front guys.”

With another strong showing from the Audi S4 quattro racers in Port Elizabeth, the attention now turns to round four of the series where they will compete at Zwartkops Raceway. While the track is similar in nature to Scribante, it is also much higher above sea level. Race fans can look forward to this race meeting taking place the first weekend of May.

Audi South Africa

Photos by MotorPics

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Michael Stephen A1 - Audi S4 - Terry Moss Racing

Tschops Sipuka A2 - Audi S4 - Terry Moss Racing

Melvill Priest A7 - Audi S4 - VMP Motorsport

Gennaro Bonafede A32 - Audi S4 - Ferodo Racing Team / VMP Motorsport

Tuesday, 2 April 2013

Audi S4 quattros bring the action to PE‏

Audi South Africa Press Release

THE Audi charge in Port Elizabeth will be led by defending champion and local racer, Michael Stephen (A1 – Engen Xtreme). Stephen has claimed the Bridgestone Production Car title in 2011 and 2012 and is the championship points leader after the first two rounds of this season.

The PE event, which takes place at Aldo Scribante Raceway on Saturday, 6 April, will see Stephen compete on his home track in front of his biggest fans. Along with Stephen will be his teammate, Tschops Sipuka (A2 – Engen Xtreme).

Sipuka claimed the overall victory at round two of the Super Series which took place in Cape Town. From this high-point Sipuka will be aiming to produce an even stronger result on his home circuit.

Gennaro Bonafede (A32 – Ferodo Racing) won his first race of the season in the Western Cape, a just reward for the hard work his team has put in to reach the competition level they have been aiming for. Bonafede will now aim to build on that victory and keep competitive in order to claim maximum points in the coming rounds.

The Audi S4 quattro of Melvill Priest (A7 – Mueller Sports Medicine) has yet to cross the finish line for a win this season, but he has been on the podium more than once and claiming the chequered flag is just a matter of time. For Priest a good qualifying result in PE could play into his hands and provide that race win he is looking for.

As the Aldo Scribante circuit is quite short and narrow, overtaking is notoriously difficult and can be extremely risky. This provides a definite incentive for the racers to aim for a very quick qualifying time in order to start as far forward as possible. In the Bridgestone Production Car championship there is a reverse grid system in place, so racers will have to consider their options very carefully in order to maximise their points haul on the day.

Audi South Africa

Photos by MotorPics

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Bridgestone Production Cars on Facebook
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Michael Stephen A1 - Audi S4 - Terry Moss Racing

Tschops Sipuka A2 - Audi S4 - Terry Moss Racing

Melvill Priest A7 - Audi S4 - VMP Motorsport

Gennaro Bonafede A32 - Audi S4 - Ferodo Racing Team / VMP Motorsport

Sunday, 17 March 2013

Audi S4 quattros victorious at Killarney‏

Audi South Africa Press Release

IT was an action-packed day of competition for the Audi S4 quattro racers at Killarney on Saturday. After three races, two sprint and a feature race, it was Engen Xtreme competitor Tschops Sipuka (A2) who ascended the top step of the Bridgestone Production Car podium.

The Killarney event saw Melvill Priest (A7 – Mueller Sports Medicine) claim third place in race one, Sipuka and Priest claimed second and third respectively in race two and Gennaro Bonafede (A32 – Ferodo Racing) won race three, followed by defending champion Michael Stephen (A1 – Engen Xtreme) and Sipuka in second and third.

This put an Audi S4 quattro on the podium for each of the races throughout the day, to the point where the Audi competitors dominated the final podium.

“We will be celebrating what we achieved today,” says Sipuka who claimed first overall for the day behind the wheel of his Audi S4 quattro. “We are still making progress and taking this one step at a time, but I am very happy with where I am today.”

The Killarney result sees Sipuka now with a small two-point deficit from second place and in a strong position for round three of the series which takes place at his home circuit in Port Elizabeth.

Priest had a good day of racing at Killarney but was keen to do more – and is convinced it would have happened if things had been that little bit different.

“The first two races were good, but I made a mistake in the third race and missed a gear,” says Priest. “We were probably good for second place in that race. The Audi S4 quattro has been good all day, competitive in the races and it has been a good weekend.”

Bonafede was highly enthusiastic about his race day experience at Killarney, a reward for long nights of hard work for the team in preparing their Audi S4 quattro.
“We had pace the whole weekend,” says Bonafede. “Fastest in race two allowed me to choose the standing start for race three. I knew we would beat everything off the line and the Audi S4 quattro proved that. Then Tschops and I just got going, we didn't fight each other but raced away from the field together. Leading the race flag to flag in the final race, you can't ask for anything more.”

For the defending champion Killarney was a trying race day. Stephen suffered a flat wheel in race one when his Audi S4 quattro was hit by another competitor and in race two the supercharger belt jumped, taking the water pump belt with it leaving Stephen with a lack of boost and rising engine temperature.

“I had a good start in race one until the racing incident and race two was also a good start until I had problems there,” says Stephen. “Race three I started seventh on the grid, had a good start getting up to third or fourth until I was taken out in turn one. I dropped back to fifth or sixth and then started picking off competitors one by one until I caught Gennaro. With a little more time I would have got him, but decided it was better to settle for 16 points rather than risk getting zero.”

Despite Stephen's problems on the day, he finished the day on a high note and retains his championship lead. Round three takes place at his home circuit and he will prove to be tough competition at Aldo Scribante Raceway.

The Audi S4 quattros will be in action again at round three of the Super Series at Aldo Scribante in Port Elizabeth on Saturday, April 6.

Audi South Africa

Photos by MotorPics

More information:

Bridgestone Production Cars on Facebook
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Michael Stephen A1 - Audi S4 - Terry Moss Racing

Tschops Sipuka A2 - Audi S4 - Terry Moss Racing

Melvill Priest A7 - Audi S4 - VMP Motorsport

Gennaro Bonafede A32 - Audi S4 - Ferodo Racing Team / VMP Motorsport

Monday, 11 March 2013

Audi S4 quattros ready to wow Cape Town crowds‏

Audi South Africa Press Release

THE Audi S4 quattro racers put in a strong showing at round one of the Super Series in Johannesburg. Their aim, at round two in Cape Town on Saturday, 16 March, will be to continue this form and again show their superiority on the track.

Defending champion Michael Stephen (A1 – Engen Xtreme) put on a display at the Johannesburg event that highlighted exactly why he has won the national title two years in a row – and plans on successfully defending that title this year. A podium finish in each of the three races and first overall for the day highlighted his skill and determination in competition.

For Stephen's teammate, Tschops Sipuka (A2 – Engen Xtreme) the outcome of that first round sees him in third place on the points ladder – and just six points back at that. This puts him within grasp of the second podium step and could well serve to fuel his fire to succeed even further. With three races waiting at the Killarney event Sipuka stands a very real chance of closing that gap significantly, or perhaps even claiming second place in the standings.

Melvill Priest (A7 – Mueller Sports Medicine) enjoys the challenge presented by Killarney and is optimistic about the event there. A good start to the 2013 season sees him fifth overall with a third place finish in race three at the first round. Priest made a few changes at Kyalami which produced less than ideal results on the day, but has indicated that his Killarney setup should help to deliver even stronger results, helping him to climb the ladder and take his place even higher in the top five.

For Gennaro Bonafede (A32 – Ferodo Racing) the Killarney event presents an opportunity to get his season properly on track. For Bonafede, regular off-season testing just didn't deliver the results he was aiming for at the first round. While the testing results were good, these did not translate into a good race day performance.

Killarney is where Bonafede will be aiming to get his season on track and fight the results he has worked so hard during the off-season to achieve.

Audi South Africa

Photos by MotorPics

More information:

Bridgestone Production Cars on Facebook
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Michael Stephen A1 - Audi S4 - Terry Moss Racing

Tschops Sipuka A2 - Audi S4 - Terry Moss Racing

Melvill Priest A7 - Audi S4 - VMP Motorsport

Gennaro Bonafede A32 - Audi S4 - Ferodo Racing Team / VMP Motorsport

Sunday, 24 February 2013

Audi S4 quattros shine at first round of season

Audi South Africa Press Release

THE Audi S4 quattro racers showed their race pedigree at Kyalami on Saturday. A hot performance at an equally hot race meeting at Kyalami saw defending champion Michael Stephen (A1 – Engen Xtreme) grab the opportunity to post the fastest time during the Super Pole session and claim the first pole position of the season.

“I got some good points at this first event,” says Stephen. “Points from the racing and the Super Pole qualifying mean a brilliant start to the season. Our work during the off-season is clearly paying off.”

Stephen led race one with Melvill Priest (A7 – Mueller Sports Medicine) in second spot. When the safety car was deployed due to an incident on track, it was Stephen who made the most of the re-start while Priest fell victim to Hennie Groenewald, sliding down to third and then fourth spot as Johan Fourie also pushed his way past. Race two saw Stephen start from sixth under the reverse grid, finding his way through to claim third by the end of the six lap race. Race three was a second place finish for the defending champion, ensuring he was never off the podium the entire race day – claiming first overall for the day in the process.

For Priest the event might not have gone his way with a fourth in race one, 14th in race two and third in the final race, but it was still a fifth overall for the day with valuable points at the start of the championship.

“We made a wrong decision on the setup,” says Priest. “We couldn't hold pace with the other competitors. A tyre delaminating in the second race spoiled what would otherwise have been a strong performance. Overall, the car is strong, I'm happy with it but we have to work on the handling a bit.”

For Tschops Sipuka (A2 – Engen Xtreme) the first race was the opportunity to advance to fifth from a sixth place start to put him second in the field for race two. This starting position in the second race gave him the sought-after inside line through the first two corners. Sipuka capitalised on this position to claim his first victory of the season. Race three saw him again cross the finish line for first place, but a penalty for a jumpstart in this final race saw him relegated to a ninth place result. The first race meeting ended with Sipuka in third place overall.

“It was a great opportunity, being able to show my strength from pole,” says Sipuka. “We have been strong here at Kyalami, the Audi S4 quattro is good and everything is working properly. It has been a great race day, and a great start to the season.”

The race day proved a trial for Gennaro Bonafede (A32 – Ferodo Racing). Race one was a 14th place finish, race two saw him seventh across the line and in the final race he was 13th, claiming sixth overall on the day.

“We simply had a bad day,” says Bonafede. “We rebuilt the car during the off-season and did hours of very successful testing. Then to come here for the first round and have all these problems is quite disappointing. On Friday we were the fastest and then lots of problems on Saturday. We're looking forward to the next race meeting now, a chance to show what we can do.”

The Bridgestone Production Car field will head to Killarney in Cape Town on Saturday, 16 March when they tackle their national championship at round two of the Super Series.

Audi South Africa

Photos by MotorPics

More information:

Bridgestone Production Cars on Facebook
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Michael Stephen A1 - Audi S4 - Terry Moss Racing

Tschops Sipuka A2 - Audi S4 - Terry Moss Racing

Melvill Priest A7 - Audi S4 - VMP Motorsport

Gennaro Bonafede A32 - Audi S4 - Ferodo Racing Team / VMP Motorsport

The Audi S4 quattro remains on top in SA at Kyalami

By Johan Laubscher

Race day dawned with very high temperatures at Kyalami. The show piece of the day was the South African Bridgestone Production Cars, the series wherein the Audi S4 team are competing. Four Audi S4 cars are entered in this Championship. Terry Moss Racing with Michael Stephen and Tschops Sipuka, and VMP Motorsport with Melvill Priest and Gennaro Bonafede (Ferodo). The Audi teams were confident after very positive sessions on Friday. Michael Stephen, the reigning champion, had put his car on provisional pole and took part in SuperPole on Saturday.

The top three qualifiers from each class had one flying lap to determine the final top three qualifying order. In Class A it was a SuperPole battle between Stephen and the pair of Team Afrox BMWs. Stephen was first out on track and set a very good time. Johan Fourie (an ex-Audi driver and two-time champion) was out next and only 0.173 seconds slower than Stephen. The second BMW, driven by Etienne van der Linde, and the last runner in the Class A SuperPole, had an accident on his flying lap. The damage put the BMW out for the day and the team switched to an older spare car. The accident resulted in Michael Stephen taking the official pole position and the three championship points that came with it.

The first race of the day saw Stephen on pole followed by the other Audis in fourth, sixth and seventh. Races one and two were both six lap sprints. Michael Stephen maintained his first place off the line and went on towards a flag to flag victory. Behind him it was a very busy race with cars battling for position. Melvill Priest held on for fourth with Sipuka right behind him. Bonafede suffered technical problems during race one.

The top six were inverted for race two. This inversion meant that Sipuka, who finished fifth in race one, would start on the front row. Sipuka is well known for making lighting fast starts with the quattro system, often dancing on the line of it being a jump start. On this occasion he timed it perfectly and rocketed himself into the lead. He maintained this lead during the race and went on to claim his first official race victory with the Audi S4. And to further prove that it was not a fluke, he set the fastest lap in the race as well, gaining him pole position for race three. Mr Consistency, Michael Stephen, had moved his way up the field to finish third after starting from sixth. The Terry Moss Racing camp were very happy as both of their drivers had taken a win a piece so far. Both Melvill and Bonafede faced problems during the second race, but most importantly Melvill had set the second fastest lap, ensuing a front row start for race three.

All four Audi cars were ready for race three which saw an Audi front row ahead of the twelve lap race. The starting order in race three is determined by the fastest laps from race two. Sipuka was on pole followed by Priest. Sipuka crept on the line at the start and would later be given a jump start penalty. Priest had a very good start in the Audi S4 and shot into the lead closely followed by Hennie Groenewald in the Subaru, who had a tremendous start from row two. Priest and Groenewald had a very good fight at the front as the field fought behind them. The two big movers were Stephen and the BMW of Fourie. Stephen had made his way through the field and was up to third battling for the lead. His progress had been shadowed by Fourie who was running with him. Stephen made the pass for second, closely followed by the BMW.

At this stage Priest lead Stephan and Fourie, but this Audi 1-2 was short lived as Johan Fourie muscled his way past both Audis and took the lead. Stephen was able to pass Priest down the inside of Sunset and put in a great lap to close down Fourie. They crossed the line together with only a few laps to go. However, Fourie was able to re-establish a gap on Stephen and maintained it to the finish. Fourie won the race followed by two Audis completing the podium, Stephen and Priest. Sipuka was ultimately placed ninth overall, sixth in Class A, after receiving a thirty second penalty for the jump start. The difficult day continued for Gennaro Bonafede, the technical issues which had plagued him all day returned in race three. He circulated slowly at the rear of the Class A field to collect points, but the Ferodo Audi team will bounce back and be ready for Cape Town.

Round two of the championship will take place at Killarney. The Cape Town based circuit is well known to suit the quattro cars, and it should be another strong showing for the Audi S4s. The event is scheduled for the weekend of 16 March.

More information:
Production Cars website

Production Cars on twitter

Production Cars on Facebook
MotorPics website
Audi Motorsport in South Africa on Facebook

Results:

Class A Race 1
1 Michael Stephen – Audi S4 – Engen Xtreme
2 Hennie Groenewald – Subaru WRX STi – Team Sasol Subaru
3 Etienne van der Linde – BMW 335 – Team Afrox
4 Melvill Priest – Audi S4 – VMP Meuller Sports Medicine
5 Tschops Sipuka – Audi S4 – Engen Xtreme
6 Richard Pinard – Subaru WRX STI – Team Sasol Subaru
7 Gennaro Bonafede – Audi S4 – Ferodo
DNF Johan Fourie – BMW 335i – Team Afrox

Class A Race 2
1 Tschops Sipuka – Audi S4 – Engen Xtreme
2 Hennie Groenewald – Subaru WRX STi – Team Sasol Subaru
3 Michael Stephen – Audi S4 – Engen Xtreme
4 Etienne van der Linde – BMW 335 – Team Afrox
5 Johan Fourie – BMW 335i – Team Afrox
6 Richard Pinard – Subaru WRX STI – Team Sasol Subaru
7 Gennaro Bonafede – Audi S4 – Ferodo
8 Melvill Priest – Audi S4 – VMP Meuller Sports Medicine

Class A Race 3
1 Johan Fourie – BMW 335i – Team Afrox
2 Michael Stephen – Audi S4 – Engen Xtreme
3 Melvill Priest – Audi S4 – VMP Meuller Sports Medicine
4 Richard Pinard – Subaru WRX STI – Team Sasol Subaru
5 Etienne van der Linde – BMW 335 – Team Afrox
6 Tschops Sipuka – Audi S4 – Engen Xtreme
7 Gennaro Bonafede – Audi S4 – Ferodo
8 Hennie Groenewald – Subaru WRX STi – Team Sasol Subaru

Photo credit: MotorPics website / Production Cars website

Saturday, 23 February 2013

Positive start for the Audi S4 teams at Kyalami

By Johan Laubscher

The 2013 South African Bridgestone Production Car Championship has gotten underway at Kyalami. Practice and qualifying took place on Friday. Four Audis have been entered by two teams for the 2013 season. Reigning champion, Michael Stephen, returns with teammate Tschops Sipuka in the Terry Moss Racing Audi S4 cars. VMP Motorsport are again running a pair of Audis for Melvill Priest and Gennaro Bonafede.

The first free practice session got the ball rolling at 10:00 am local time, on an increasingly warm day. As the sun rose higher into the sky, the Production Cars headed out onto the track for the first time during 2013. The Audis and BMWs immediately shot to the top of the time sheets, followed by the brand new Subaru WRX STI sedans which were slightly off the pace. By the end of the session Johan Fourie, a two-time champion with Audi, was the fastest in his Team Afrox BMW. The leading BMW was followed by a trio of Audis with Gennaro Bonafede followed by Melvill Priest and Michael Stephen. Tschops Sipuka completed the Audi set in sixth place.

Free Practice two saw increased track temperatures and a slight increase in pace, with most of the competitors remaining in the 1:50 minute bracket. This time Michael Stephen came out on top leading Melvill Priest for an Audi 1-2. The BMW of Etienne van der Linde was the meat in an Audi sandwich as he split the quartet of Audis by placing in third. Sipuka and Bonafede finished fourth and fifth respectively.

Qualifying came after the two free practice sessions late in the afternoon. For the VMP Motorsport team it was a race against time to replace the gearbox in Gennaro Bonafede’s Audi S4. They managed to work at a frantic pace to complete the change in only two hours, ensuring that all four Audis could take part in qualifying. The reigning champ Michael Stephen went on from where he left off last year by placing his Audi S4 on provisional pole position. He set the fastest time of the weekend so far, and was the only driver to drop into the sub 1:50 bracket with a 1:49 minute lap. Stephen was followed by both the Team Afrox BMW entries in second and third. The top three will take part in the Super Pole tomorrow morning which will decide the final top three starting order.

Melvill Priest qualified in fourth and Tschops Sipuka in sixth. The Subaru of Hennie Groenewald proved it was up to pace by placing in the top five, well within a competitive time bracket in the brand new Subaru WRX sedan. The top six were separated by less than a second. Gennaro Bonafede finished in seventh, less than two seconds from pole, despite another gearbox issue which left him with only two gears on his flying lap.

The scene is set for another tremendous SA Bridgestone Production Car event. All the top teams are very close together and it is anyone’s guess as to who will lead the first race tomorrow. Super Pole is scheduled for 10:45 followed by race one at 12:50 local time. We wish the best of luck to the Audi S4 teams.

More information:
Production Cars FB page

Production Cars / Super Series website

Audi Motorsport in South Africa FB page
Kyalami results

Photos from the Audi Motorsport in South Africa FB page / Johan Laubscher

Saturday, 16 February 2013

Audi S4 quattros ready to roar into 2013 action

Audi South Africa Press Release

THE Audi S4 quattros will take to the track at Kyalami on Saturday, 23 February, opening the 2013 season at the same track they competed at the closing round for 2012. That event finished in dramatic fashion with a rainstorm that saw racers competing in very difficult conditions.

With his second consecutive championship under the belt, Michael Stephen (A1 – Engen Xtreme) will lead the charge at Kyalami with his Audi S4 quattro. Stephen has made no secret of the fact that he will be there to race – and that he has his eye on a hat-trick in the championship stakes.

Tschops Sipuka (A2 – Engen Xtreme) is determined to put in a good showing at his first outing of the season. Sipuka showed steady progress throughout last year and he will want to start the season just as strongly as he finished in 2012. Race fans can expect to see Sipuka on pace and a strong competitor in his Audi S4 quattro at Kyalami.

The Audi S4 quattro of Melvill Priest (A7 – Mueller Sports Medicine) will be an equally daunting opponent for competitors in the Bridgestone Production Cars. Priest showed his pace on several occasions during the 2012 season and has been methodically working his way to the front of the field.

With a chance for off-season testing and work on his Audi S4 quattro, Priest could provide a surprise start to the season and showcase just how much work he has been doing since the championship finale last year.

Youngest racer in the Audi S4 quattro onslaught, Gennaro Bonafede (A32 – Ferodo Racing), returns to competition at round one this year for his first full season behind the wheel of the Audi S4 quattro. For Bonafede the 2012 season was a warm-up and test session as he got to grips with the all-wheel drive technology and the driving style and commitment required to get the best out of the Audi S4 quattro.

Despite considering the previous season a non-championship year for him, Bonafede was not holding back and closed off on a high note, by winning the final race. While the other competitors were hard-pressed to keep their race cars on track, Bonafede kept his cool and powered home his first win in Class A of the Bridgestone Production Car Championship.

This finish bodes well for his first year and he has been putting in a great deal of work during the off-season. Testing and practise sessions have seen Bonafede honing his skill and discovering all the intricacies of getting the absolute best out of the Audi S4 quattro system.

A change to the rules for this year sees the Audi S4 quattro racers running lower boost setting this season – resulting in a significant drop in power over last year. They have expressed confidence though that this change will not keep them off the podium this season.

Audi South Africa

Photos by MotorPics

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