Monday, November 3, 2014

BPCC: Engen Xtreme Team finish off season at demanding final round


Engen Motorsport Press Release

The Engen Xtreme Team competitors completed the 2014 national Bridgestone Production Car Championship at Zwartkops Raceway on Saturday. The event saw some tough duels taking place, with exciting racing in each of the two races.

Eight rounds of competition at five different circuits and five race wins have kept the Engen Xtreme racers in the thick of the action in their Engen Xtreme Audi S4 quattros.

“It has been a highly competitive season,” says Michael Stephen (A1). “Each event this year has demanded the utmost in terms of dedication and we've been on pace at every event, mixing things up with other top racers in the class.”

Three-time consecutive champion in the Bridgestone Production Car series, Stephen narrowly missed making it a fourth victory in a row.

“While the idea of constantly winning is certainly appealing, the reality in motorsport is that you work hard, produce the best results you can and add as many points as possible to the scoreboard,” says Stephen. “This year the team dedicated themselves to our championship aspirations, our pace was good and we produced some good results. Ultimately is was not quite enough and we ended the season in second place. Now we focus on 2015 and work on bringing the championship title back home again.”


Stephen ended the final race day of the season in third place overall, with a third place finish in the feature race on the day as well. The last race day of the year also brought Simon Moss' first season in this competitive national championship to an end.

“The leap up to the Bridgestone Production Car Championship was a big one,” says Moss. “The racers are experienced and handle their cars well. The learning curve is extremely steep and I've had to fight for every single inch of track position I could get this season.”

Despite his lack of experience in the class, Moss scored points in all but two races this season, even scoring a bonus point for producing a fastest laptime at Scribante during the Port Elizabeth round of the championship.

“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.”

The Engen Xtreme Team now go into their off-season preparations with both Engen Xtreme Audi S4 quattros being completely stripped down and then rebuilt to ensure they are in top form for the year of competition ahead.

Photo credit: MotorPress.co.za