The Engen Xtreme Team contested the penultimate round of their championship at Zwartkops Raceway on Saturday. In an event marked by unpredictable conditions with the team facing everything from high temperatures to rain storms, the Engen Xtreme Audi A3 GTC entries were still producing laptimes that made it tough for their competition to keep up.
The qualifying session on Friday afternoon saw the Sasol GTC Africa leader, Michael Stephen, produce a best laptime more than a second faster than his rivals – and they managed to get within a second of his time measuring his second-best to their best result.
“This was a challenging weekend for everyone,” says Stephen. “All of the practice sessions were done in the dry but then qualifying was wet – we still made pole in the session though, even with a dry setup in those slippery conditions.”
Stephen’s teammate, Simon Moss, qualified in third place, trailing second spot by just 0.3 of a second. This despite the weather conditions which turned Zwartkops Raceway into a slick and rain-soaked track just waiting to catch the unwary.
“When the rain started, the inside of my windscreen completely fogged up and I couldn’t see where I was going,” says Moss. “I was quick enough for third before the rain, but was just getting started, I could definitely have gone quicker if the windscreen hadn’t misted up.”
Race one on Saturday morning saw Stephen and his Engen Xtreme Audi A3 deliver his usual result, on the top step of the podium having dominated during the 12 lap race and winning by a margin of 4.7 seconds. Moss made minor contact with another competitor early in the race which caused a front wheel to rub on the fender but was left stuck in the gravel, waiting to be towed out and having to rejoin the field a lap down after he was bumped off the track.
For Stephen the second race – which saw the rain return to make competition on slick tyres a challenge – marked the first time in several years that the multiple national motorsport champion has not completed a race. A spin just two laps from the finish saw the race leader unable to rejoin and he was forced to watch the race finish from the sidelines. Up until that point, Stephen had been lapping nearly a half-second quicker than his rivals.
“From that dominant qualifying I went on to win race one, leading from start to finish. Race two started well but conditions changed from dry to wet in that race and it caught me out on lap six,” says Stephen. “I lost the back end, caught it the first time but couldn’t hold it the second time, went off the track and clipped the tyres which sent me into a spin and twisted the propshaft off. It was a bit disappointing that I couldn’t get the car running again to finish, but my first DNF in several years isn’t too bad.”
Moss suffered a damaged oil pump belt in the second race and had to retire, despite being amongst the top four in terms of pace. From his third place in qualifying on Friday afternoon, it appeared that Moss would be amongst the leaders on race day. From the opening laps, he was on pace and set to shadow his teammate throughout the weekend, but technical issues in the second race of the day prevented this reality.
The Engen Xtreme Team now looks to the final round in East London, on Saturday, December 3 where a high-speed weekend awaits to round off a national championship season that has been dominated by the pace of the Engen Xtreme Audi A3s.
From the outset, the Engen Xtreme Team has set the pace in the Sasol GTC Africa national championship and will arrive in East London with Michael Stephen and his Engen Xtreme Audi A3 the championship leader – and looking for his first championship title in this new series.
For Simon Moss the goal will be to end the year on the overall podium with his Engen Xtreme Audi A3, putting both of the Engen Xtreme Team competitors on the final podium for the season.
A few technical gremlins have haunted Moss at stages this season, but he hasn’t allowed that to hold him back, progressing up to third place overall before the penultimate round at Zwartkops Raceway on Saturday.
The East London circuit layout favours high-speed driving and this will prove a test for the GTC field as they negotiate the bumpy surface while keeping their cars moving at maximum pace.
Stephen and Moss are confident they will deliver the action for all three of the races scheduled to take place in East London on Saturday. The combination of high-speed racing and the tight corners means lots of late braking and finesse in the handling department to ensure momentum.
With years of karting, single-seater and Audi quattro racing experience between them, the Engen Xtreme Team racers have the right combination of skills – and preparation – to bring it all together on the final race day.
The GTC championship has taken the Engen Xtreme team from Zwartkops Raceway in Pretoria, to Killarney Raceway in Cape Town, Aldo Scribante Raceway in Port Elizabeth and up to Kyalami in Johannesburg. The final round of competition sees them back at the coast, this time entertaining crowds at one of South Africa’s most historic circuits.
Alan Straton
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