MyPE

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Michael Stephen misses out on 4th title in a row

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The final event of the Super Series at Zwartkops Raceway on Saturday saw Audi claim the Manufacturer’s title for 2014 and Gennaro Bonafede (A32 – Audi Sasolracing) ended the year on a high note, winning the feature race to finish first overall for the day as well.

“There was some hectic racing today,” says Bonafede. “I literally got stuck in the middle in the opening lap of race one, between Michael on one side and Hennie on the other. Got a bit unlucky to finish fourth in that race. Race two I recorded really fast laps, one after the other to finish with a lead of more than eight seconds, that gives a real confidence boost for the coming season.”

Three-time consecutive champion in the Bridgestone Production Car series, Michael Stephen (A1 – Engen Xtreme) narrowly missed adding a fourth consecutive title to his list of achievements.

“It has been an extremely competitive season in the Bridgestone Production Car series,” says Stephen. “Every event this year has demanded the utmost from both team and driver in terms of dedication and the Engen Xtreme Team has been on pace at every event, mixing things up with other top racers in the class.”

At the final round of the Super Series, Hennie Groenewald (A8 – Audi Sasolracing) found himself in a hard-fought battle to take third place in race one.

“Race one was very interesting, three Audi S4 quattros side-by-side through one of the faster corners at Zwartkops,” says Groenewald. “That takes a lot of respect. We struggled a bit with balance on race day which made it a difficult start to the day. Despite a good start to race two, things didn’t go our way but with Gennaro winning race two, we still got a good result for Audi Sasolracing.”

Simon Moss (A38 – Engen Xtreme) the Zwartkops event marked the end of his first season in the series.

“I’m sure next season I’ll be stronger out on track,” says Moss. “This year was all about learning the car, finding my feet in the championship and adapting to the handling of the Engen Xtreme Audi S4 quattro.”

With eight rounds completed, the Bridgestone Production Car Championship has wrapped for the 2014 season with the teams returning to their workshops and spending the next few months hard at work preparing for the challenge that will be 2015.

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.