Audi Racing History in South Africa Part 6: World class Super Touring

Audi Racing History in South Africa Part 6 of 10 
World class Super Touring

By Johan Laubscher

After six years of the high-powered Wesbank Modifieds Audi SA turned its attention to the new Super Touring formula. Again armed with cars straight from Audi Sport in Germany, Audi SA was ready to do battle in the most competitive 1990's race formula.   

1995

AA Fleetcare Super Touring: 1995 saw the dawn of the Touring Car era for Audi in South Africa. Audi South Africa received two Audi 80 Competition cars that competed in Germany in 1994, to compete in the 1995 AA Fleetcare South African Super Touring Championship. Terry Moss and Chris Aberdein were once again paired to drive the two factory Audi SA cars. It was a difficult year with the Opel team being the dominant force in the championship. Terry Moss took the team’s only win at a wet Kyalami.

1995 Terry Moss 80 Competition (RP)

1995 Chris Aberdein 80 Competition (RP)

Footage from the wet 1995 Kyalami Round 8 HERE. 

More Footage from 1995 HERE.

Spa 24 Hours: During 1995 Terry Moss competed for the Belgian Audi Club at the Spa 24 Hours sharing an Audi 80 Competition with Vincent Vosse and Philippe Adams. They finished seventh overall. Moss and Vosse would share a car later in 1995 at Kyalami as well. 

1995 Spa 24 results HERE.

1995 Moss, Voss & Adams Spa 24 Hours 80 Competition (BAC)

Footage of the 1995 Sp 24 Hours HERE.

Kyalami International: At the end of 1995 a special International Super Touring event was held at Kyalami. The Audi A4 Super Touring Car debuted in South Africa at this event in the hands of Frank Biela and Chris Aberdein, who shared the A4. Terry Moss and Vincent Vosse shared one of the Audi 80 Competition cars. Biela and Aberdein dominated the event, and it was a taste of what was to come in the 1996 season. 

1995 Int Kyalami event Biela & Aberdein A4 (STG)

1995 Int Kyalami event Vosse and Moss 80 Comp (VV)

Bologna Motorshow: Terry Moss and Chris Aberdein also joined Audi Sport Italia for the motorsport arena event at the 1995 Italian Bologna Motorshow. (No Photos) 

1996

AA Fleetcare Super Touring: 1996 was a case of worldwide domination by the Audi A4 quattro. In South Africa the factory team was again driven by Terry Moss and Chris Aberdein, both in new Audi A4 Super Touring cars. One privately entered yellow Audi 80 Competition was in the hands of Hennie Groenewald. Despite performance penalties during the year, Moss and Aberdein dominated the championship. Moss was crowned champion with Chris Aberdein runner up. By the end of 1996 Audi had claimed the Super Touring title in all seven countries in which the cars competed: South Africa, Britain, Italy, Germany, Spain, Belgium and Australia.

1996 season results HERE.

1996 Terry Moss A4 STW (STG)

1996 Chris Aberdein A4 STW (RP)

1996 Hennie Groenewald 80 Competition (STG)

Footage from 1996 HERE. 

The 1996 Audi Documentary about the seven titles HERE.

Rainbow Cup: At the end of 1996 another series of International Super Touring events were held in South Africa. Dubbed the “Rainbow Cup” it was a two round series with a round at Kyalami and at Killarney. The two Rothmans Audi A4 cars were entered with two sets of driver pairings. Terry Moss shared with Italian Tamara Vidali and Chris Aberdein shared with Belgian Jean-Francois Hemroulle. A third Audi was entered from Germany, the Abt Sportsline team with drivers Christian Abt and Kris Nissen. Christian Abt was the highest finisher in the two round series finishing second overall.

1996 Rainbow Cup Results HERE.

1996 Rainbow Cup Moss & Vidali A4 STW (RP)

1996 Rainbow Cup Aberdein & Hemroulle A4 (BAC)

1996 Rainbow Cup Abt & Nissan A4 STW (RP)

Rules change: At the end of 1996 the Super Touring rules were deemed too expensive and the decision was made to end Super Touring in South Africa. A new Touring Car formula was introduced for 1997 with cars very similar to the Super Touring rules but with much more affordable running costs and no aerodynamic wings. Four wheel drive would not be allowed in the new rules.

Audi Racing History in South Africa article links:
Part 1: The introduction
Part 2: The beginning
Part 3: The rally legend came to SA
Part 4: quattro debuts on the track
Part 5: The mighty S4 GTO
Part 6: World class Super Touring
Part 7: The end of an era
Part 8: The return of the rings
Part 9: The reign of the A4 quattro
Part 10: The S4 supercharged arrival

Photo sources:
RP = RacePics from www.racepics.co.za
BAC = Belgian Audi Club from www.belgianaudiclub.be
VV = Vincent Vosse from www.v-vosse.com
STG* = South African Touring Car Racing 1993-2000 Facebook Group HERE.

Article cover photo = 1996 Audi SA media/press photo
Bottom cover photo = Johan Laubscher / Tarek Ramchani 

All the images are labeled with an abbreviation within brackets in their caption which indicates the photo source as listed above. 

*May not include the original photo source.