FLYING FOURIE READY FOR ZWARTKOPS ATTACK

Johan Fourie and his IndyOil crew are ready for the challenge that round six of the Bridgestone Production Car Championship will present at Zwartkops on 11 September 2010.

After a tough start to the 2010 season, the IndyOil Audi team showed their mettle by overcoming all odds to take two great victories and a second place at the last event held at Phakisa. This great feat saw Johan haul in a massive 45 points towards his championship defense and this elevated the team into third place in the point’s standings.

Whilst the Phakisa event served to boost the team’s morale, Zwartkops will present another obstacle in the form of success ballast. Johan’s Audi will be carrying a massive 40 Kgs of additional weight, which will take its toll on straight-line speed, cornering and braking.

The Pretoria West circuit does however play to the strengths of the Audi’s all wheel drive quattro system and Johan will be hoping to use this to his advantage.

“Winning two races at Phakisa was a huge boost to the team and although it went all our own way, I expect Zwartkops to be much more challenging. The BMW team use Zwartkops for all of their testing and the Subaru team are the crowd favorites. Despite this, we are feeling confident and are ready to give the event our all,” commented Johan.

With an unrivalled determination, the IndyOil crew are sure to keep the crowd on the edge of their seats with practice sessions on Friday afternoon and qualifying and all three races on Saturday 11 September 2010.

Ends

Issued by : Motorsport Marketing Services, 074 574 8956

For more information, please visit www.johanfourieracing.co.za

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SUBARU RACING KICKS INTO TOP GEAR FOR ZWARTKOPS RACE MEETING

The three-car Subaru Racing Production Car Team heads to the Sasol Race Day at Zwartkops Raceway with high hopes of a good showing following encouraging testing times in the run-up to the 11th and 12th rounds of the Bridgestone Production Car Championship.

Hennie Groenewald’s Timken Subaru Impreza STI won in Port Elizabeth and at Kyalami this season – heading a historic 1-2 - while the Sasol turbo fuels plus Impreza STI of Dawie Olivier was victorious last time out at Phakisa. With Richard Pinard joining the Subaru fold in his Midas Sport Impreza STI, the team will be out in force to thrill the thousands of fans that flock to the tight 2.4km circuit located outside Pretoria.

Multiple V8 champion Hennie Groenewald loves the Zwartkops Raceway and hopes to add to his winning tally on the Highveld circuit. “The development done on the Timken Subaru Impreza STI has been phenomenal. It is a completely different cat to the one we started the year with. Production Car lap times have increased by 3% this year so our improvement has been even bigger as we lagged a bit at the start of the season”.

“Racing at high altitude is always going to give us a slight advantage while the Subaru’s All-Wheel Drive is a big bonus around the tight corners. We’ve spent a lot of time working on the Impreza’s power delivery and have shifted our focus to the chassis to further refine the handling.”

“The layout of the circuit is conducive to tight, close racing with a bit of everything, from high-speed stuff to tight and twisty corners. It’s a very technical circuit with big braking and the brakes take a hammering. SP Race Engineering does a lot of testing at Zwartkops and I hope we can reward our fans and sponsors with a 1-2 3.”

Dawie Olivier is also a big fan of the Pretoria circuit. The Sasol-backed driver says: I love it. I started my racing career at Zwartkops and scored Subaru’s first ever production car race win – against all the odds – in 2007.”

“Running with sasol livery on the Sasol Race Day is an added pressure. I know all the shortcuts around the circuit and I expect us to be very competitive. Tyre wear isn’t an issue and the Impreza is happy running in the spring heat. I hope to reward all our fans with a better result than we got at Phakisa where I won a race – I’ll settle for two wins”, Oliver laughed.

Richard Pinard slips behind the wheel of his Subaru Midas Sport Impreza STI for just the second time after making his debut in the Free State last month. “It’s been very interesting finding the right lines with the Impreza All-Wheel Drive system. I pussy footed a bit at Phakisa trying to get used to the car and after some more mileage, I expect to be much closer to Hennie and Dawie”, said Pinard.

“Hennie drove my car and reported that besides the Midas livery, he couldn’t tell any difference between his Timken Impreza and my Midas car, which is encouraging. SP Race Engineering’s technicians did a fantastic job of fixing my car after I stuffed it into the wall. I can promise our fans a lot of action come raceday”.

SP Race Engineering Team Manager Carel Pienaar forecasts a frenetic time at Zwartkops: “We have a very strong team and production car racing is all about the team and strategy. Our drivers are out of the top drawer and can deliver the results we hope for. I am concerned that the rules are up and down and the latest restrictor size imposed on us could cause a question mark on our performance”.

“Grant Bowring, Subaru Southern Africa Brand and Marketing Manager said: “Motorsport South Africa’s latest circular appears to clarify the performance equalization issue but I’m disappointed that standing starts have been banned. The field is equally spread between four wheel and two wheel drive cars. The series should allow us to showcase the unique selling points of our products which the rules are steadily eroding”.

“Technical issues aside, Zwartkops has provided many rewarding race results in Subaru’s history and we hope to continue that trend. Being the Sasol Race Day, we hope to do our sponsors proud”.

ENDS

Issued by : Subaru Southern Africa, Grant Bowring, Brand & Marketing Manager, grantb@subaru.co.za, 011 608 0116, www.subaru.co.za

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BRIDGESTONE PRODUCTION CARS PREPARE TO IMPRESS

Zwartkops has always been the stage for exciting action and dramatic performances from SA’s premier motorsport category, Bridgestone Production Cars. Much of the same is expected from this year’s spectacle as the country’s top drivers take to the circuit on 11 September 2010.

Class A should be an interesting affair. Team Afrox BMW 335i drivers, Anthony Taylor and Melvill Priest, make extensive use of the circuit for testing purposes. This should give the duo some advantage and keep them at the top of the points standings.

The tight and twisty nature of Zwartkops does however favour the four wheel drive cars and previous trends have shown Timken Subaru WRX driver, Dawie Olivier to be a crowd favourite. It is anticipated that the Pretoria crowd will extend their enthusiasm to include Hennie Groenewald (Timken) and Richard Pinard (Midas), perhaps giving the trio some gain.

Audi A4 drivers Johan Fourie (IndyOil) and Michael Stephen (Engen Xtreme) are back on form and will be looking to continue their Phakisa success. The two drivers are tied for third place in the championship.

Marco da Cunha (Tubular Tech Nissan 350Z) and Reghard Roets (Rough Rider BMW 335i) both had good outings at Phakisa and will be hoping to continue their good form, whilst Tschops Sipuka (Engen Xtreme Audi A4) will be hoping for a good result.

The VW versus Ford battle continues in Class T and the never ending feud is sure to keep the crowd entertained.

Leading the six strong GTI challenge is current championship leader Graeme Nathan (IndyOil). He is joined by teammates Gennaro Bonafede (Ferodo) and Kieren Quarmby (Interfile). The impressive trio will be trying to outperform the equally successful Nando’s Ford Focus ST entries of Gary Formato, Michael van Rooyen and Shaun Duminy.

Adding some spice and looking to topple the GTI / Ford rivalry will be the MFC Mazda 3 MPS’ team, of Heinz Bose and George Smalberger, and Acc Aircon Renault Megane driver Andre van der Merwe.

The final three GTI entries will be those of Curt Alchin (Bodyman), Nieyaaz Modack (Woodmead Auto) and Nizaam Esa (Asrin).

There will be three practice sessions on Friday afternoon, with qualifying and three races on Saturday (11 September).

Ends

Issued by Vaughn Williams On behalf of BRIDGESTONE PRODUCTION CARS, Tel : 082 899 5100, Email : vaughn@productioncars.co.za

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AUDI MOTORSPORT RARING TO GO

Following their hugely successful outing at Phakisa four weeks ago, Audi Motorsport are ready to take on round six of the Bridgestone Production Car Championship, scheduled to take place at Zwartkops (Pretoria West) on 11 September 2010.

Audi Motorsport has won the Class A Championship three years in succession and although it has been a difficult start to the 2010 season, Audi Motorsport is back in the title chase.

Michael Stephen (Engen Xtreme) has been the most consistent of the A4 drivers this year, scoring points in all but one of the 15 races so far this season. He has achieved two race wins and five more podium finishes. Michael is currently tied third in the point’s standings with stable mate Johan Fourie and is eager to break this deadlock at Zwartkops.

Johan Fourie (IndyOil) made a gigantic points haul in Phakisa, raking in 45 points and elevating himself from fifth to third in the championship log. He has taken three race wins and a further five podium placings. Johan will however have a tough time at Zwartkops as he receives a substantial 40kgs of success ballast following the Phakisa event.

Tschops Sipuka (Engen Xtreme) is the final Audi driver. It is evident from his off-road excursions that Tschops is giving his all and pushing the limits of his Audi’s quattro system. With a bit of luck, he will be in a position to challenge the Zwartkops’ crowd favourites.

The 2.4km Zwartkops circuit is fairly tight and twisty in nature and should play into the hands of the four-wheel drive cars. The downside however is that the circuit is the favoured testing ground of the Gauteng based BMW team.

It will be an uphill battle, but the Audi Motorsport teams are known for their “never say die” attitude and ability to overcome all obstacles thrown into their paths.

Three practice sessions will be held on Friday afternoon, with qualifying and all three races taking place on Saturday 11 September.

Ends

Issued by: Rudi Venter , Product Planning Manager, Audi South Africa, +27 11 203-2771, venter.rudi@audi.co.za

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Bridgestone Production Cars prepare...

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Audi Motorsport raring to go

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Subaru Racing kicks into top gear...

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Flying Fourie ready for Zwartkops...

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Archive:

Round 1: Kyalami
Round 2: Killarney
Round 3: Aldo Scribante
Round 4: Kyalami
Round 5: Phakisa