NPCC: Engen Xtreme’s Stephen finishes tops at Zwartkops

Engen Motorsport Press Release

Engen Xtreme’s Michael Stephen, driving an Audi S4 Quattro, kicked off his bid to reclaim the National Production Car Championship by coming out tops in Round One of the 2015 season at Zwartkops Raceway on Saturday.

The three-time former champion, who was beaten to the title by Johan Fourie in 2014, qualified on pole in Race One on Saturday and was hoping to turn it on from the get-go.

“I was just not able to beat the Chev (Michael van Rooyen) across the line in Race One, so finished second. In Race Two it was a strategic decision to finish in a position to provide a good grid start for the final race of the day, rather than simply focusing on a higher placing in the second race,” said Stephen afterwards.

Starting Race Three on the front of the grid, Stephen soon had the rest of the field in his rear-view mirror. “I managed to overtake Hennie (Groenwald) in the first lap and then just had to defend against Gennaro (Bonafede) until the finish to take the win in the third race – and first overall for the day.”

New rules for the 2015 season have seen the production car field equalised as far as possible to keep competition between the various teams as close as possible, which sees the Audi S4 Quattro competitors of the Engen Xtreme team relying on their Quattro system to give them an edge in the corners while they lose in terms of straight line power to the front wheel drive cars.

“It can't get any better as a start to the season,” added Stephen. “The racing was very good, I had a hard tussle in each of the races and the series had three different winners on the day.”

For Stephen’s Engen Xtreme teammate Simon Moss (38), the first round of the season proved a mixed bag of results.

“I was on pace this weekend, I finished fifth, fourth and sixth in each of the races today,” says Moss. “In the last lap of Race Three I had to make an all-or-nothing decision to fight off Gary (Formato). I decided to risk it and went around the outside, hit something in the outfield and launched the car. It didn't work out.”

Unfortunately for Moss a fairly consistent race weekend saw the final race result push him down the order, potentially costing him one or two places in the overall standings. “I remain upbeat, however, with good pace at the start of the season and having completed three demanding races in the first round.”

The Engen Xtreme team will return to Zwartkops Raceway during the 2015 season, making the experience and race data collected during Round One a valuable asset which will come into play later this year. For Stephen and Moss the plan is continued pressure on the production car field while amassing as many points as possible to ensure they are in a commanding position in the standings come the crucial final rounds of the year.

Round Two of the National Production Car Championship will see the Engen Xtreme team in competition at Killarney in Cape Town on Saturday, 11 April. This will be the first of three coastal rounds of the championship that will have the team racing in both Port Elizabeth and East London before returning inland.

Photo credit: MotorPress.co.za

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NPCC: Engen Xtreme Racing set for Zwartkops opener

Engen Motorsport Press Release

The Engen Xtreme Racing Team starts their 2015 national motorsport season at Zwartkops Raceway on Saturday, 21 February with Michael Stephen and Simon Moss again behind the wheels of their Engen Xtreme Audi S4 Quattros.

The race format for the 2015 National Production Car Championship season will see competitors tackle three sprint races at each round of the eight event championship. Race One grid positions will be calculated from qualifying times, Race Two is a reverse grid race and Race Three's grid is determined by the fastest lap in race two.

“The 2015 season is going to be a challenging one for the team,” says Stephen. “The championship is in a transition phase going into the 2016 season, so we'll be facing each event head-on to produce the best results possible, aiming to retain our hallmark competitiveness.”

Stephen has achieved three national championship titles in the Bridgestone Production Car Championship in recent years, and has been racing with the Engen Xtreme Team in this category since 2006. He is also responsible for the day-to-day running of the Terry Moss Racing workshops in Port Elizabeth.

Moss joined the team last year to contest his first season in the production car category, working hard to achieve pace and get settled behind the wheel of the Engen Xtreme Audi S4 Quattro.

The eight race dates see the team start their 2015 campaign at Zwartkops in Pretoria, before moving to Killarney in Cape Town for an event in April and then contesting their home circuit in Port Elizabeth in June. The East London event is on the calendar for July before the team heads back to Zwartkops for the August event.

Also in August is a visit scheduled for a new venue, Dezzi Raceway in Port Shepstone, which will bring the Engen Xtreme team back to motorsport action in KwaZulu-Natal for the first time since the street racing events in Durban a few years back. Killarney is the venue for the penultimate round of the championship this year in October before the finale, which will see the team competing at Kyalami once more.

While there are still details to be finalised regarding the new season, the Engen Xtreme Team is primed and ready for action, prepared to tackle all challenges, and score maximum points while they focus on the goal of achieving another championship title.

Looking forward to another highly successful season, Engen Sponsorship Manager Brad Bergh adds that the Engen Motorsport programme is a key component within the company’s overall sponsorship portfolio as it delivers a product relevant platform where Engen is able to showcase its quality fuels and lubricants performing under extreme conditions.

“The engineers and race mechanics have been hard at work in the off season and are focussed on gaining a winning momentum right from the start as they strive to capture the team’s fourth  Championship title,” says Bergh.

Photo credit: MotorPress.co.za

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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
 

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BPCC: Audi wins Manufacturer title at Super Series

Audi South Africa Press Release

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.

Photo credit: MotorPress.co.za
 

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BPCC: Audi S4 quattro racers ready for a dramatic finale

 Audi South Africa Press Release

Competition in the Bridgestone Production Car Championship has been fierce this season. The on-track battles for position and points has demanded the most from every racer in the series.

The final round of the championship sees the Audi S4 quattro racers head to Zwartkops Raceway for the last two races of the season on Saturday, 1 November. It is at this race meeting that the championship will be decided and the new champion crowned.

Defending champion in this series, Michael Stephen (A1 – Engen Xtreme), has an 11 point deficit to make up at this event to mount a successful challenge for the title. This is not the first time that Stephen has entered the final round behind on points, only to emerge with another championship title.

Gennaro Bonafede (A32 – Audi Sasolracing) needs to produce a consistent performance at the Zwartkops event to consolidate his third place position in the championship. Bonafede's position in the series means that if he holds his current form he is assured of a podium result for the season.

Hennie Groenewald (A8 – Audi Sasolracing) will aim for another good result at the Zwartkops event, hoping to finish the season with a podium on the day. Groenewald has produced a podium result for his team at each of the Zwartkops race meetings this season so his chances are good for a repeat performance.

Simon Moss (A38 – Engen Xtreme) will be eager to finish his season on a high note. He started his first year in the Bridgestone Production Car Championship at Zwartkops in March this year and will be aiming to finish the year with a good result to cap his inaugural season in the class.

Photo credit: MotorPress.co.za
 

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BPCC: Championship chase down to the wire for Engen Xtreme Team

Engen Motorsport Press Release

The final round of the Bridgestone Production Car Championship takes place at Zwartkops Raceway on Saturday, 1 November. For Engen Xtreme's Michael Stephen (A1), defending his Class A title is going to produce an exciting day of racing.

Stephen has won the Bridgestone Production Car Championship title for three consecutive seasons. He is a determined and accomplished racer who has proven more than a match for the challenge of winning championships. The final round for 2014 sees him contest the last round of the year chasing the championship leader.

The deficit to the leader is 11 points so Stephen has a challenging race day ahead.

“The outcome of the championship will be decided on the day,” says Stephen. “On a race day anything can happen so preparation is vital and then we focus on producing the very best performance possible on the day.”

For Simon Moss (A38) the Zwartkops round marks his last race day for the season. The Zwartkops venue allows him to aim for a big finish as the Super Series has competed at this venue on previous occasions, giving him a higher level of experience here than anywhere else in the country.

“I will be aiming for a good result at the final round of the championship," says Moss. "As a thank you to the Engen Xtreme Team for all their hard work this season, preparing my Audi S4 quattro to the highest standards for every event.”

With both of the Engen Xtreme Audi S4 quattros aiming for good results to end off the season, race fans can keep a sharp eye out for A1 and A38 as they will be amongst the hardest-charging racing drivers on the day.

“It has been a challenging season for competitors in the Super Series,” says Stephen. “I believe the Engen Xtreme team has shown once again that we are one of the top performers in national circuit racing and have on numerous occasions set the pace that others had to work even harder to follow. The final race day of the season is going to be demanding for every one of us, but it is going to be a calendar highlight for both the teams and the race fans.”

Photo credit: MotorPress.co.za
 

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BPCC: Audi S4 Quattro Racers Set the Pace at Scribante

Audi South Africa Press Release

THE Audi S4 quattro racers set the pace at Aldo Scribante Raceway in Port Elizabeth. The qualifying session for round three of their championship in the Super Series saw the top four positions all claimed by Audi S4 quattro drivers.

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BPCC: Audi S4 Quattro Racers Ready to Race in PE

Audi South Africa Press Release 

THE Bridgestone Production Car Championship moves to Port Elizabeth for round three of the Super Series on Saturday, 3 May. The fight for points has built in intensity with the PE event promising to be the most challenging yet.

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BPCC: Engen Xtreme racers ready for another top-class performance in PE

Engen Motorsport Press Release

Port Elizabeth’s Aldo Scribante Raceway hosts round three of the Super Series – it is also the home of the Engen Xtreme team's Michael Stephen (A1) and Simon Moss (A38) and will see the pair aim to put on a good show for their supporters. 

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BPCC: Engen Xtreme's Michael Stephen Takes the Lead

Engen Motorsport Press Release

Round two of the Super Series in Cape Town saw Michael Stephen (A1) claim the championship lead in the Class A of the Bridgestone Production Cars. Stephen has claimed the title on three separate occasions and a good performance at Killarney saw him move into first place. 

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BPCC: Audi Sasolracing consolidate championship challenge at Cape Town races

Sasolracing Press Release

Gennaro Bonafede and Hennie Groenewald remain well in contention for the 2014 Bridgestone Production Car Championship title after round two at the Killarney race track in Cape Town having claimed the overall 3rd and 4th places respectively after a pair of tough, no-holds-barred races.

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BPCC: Another Strong Showing for Audi S4 Quattro Racers

Audi South Africa Press Release

ROUND two of the Bridgestone Production Car Championship at Killarney proved another intense race meeting for the Audi S4 quattro competitors. Incredibly close racing with no quarter asked nor given was the order of the day.

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BPCC: Audi Racers Have Eye on Another Dominant Display

Audi South Africa Press Release

THE Audi S4 quattro entries were a force to be reckoned with the opening round of the Bridgestone Production Car season. At Zwartkops Raceway in early March the four racers proved untouchable.

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BPCC: Engen’s Xtreme Team prepares for heated battle at Killarney

Engen Motorsport Press Release

Fans of the Karate Kid movies will know the relationship between master and student, the search for the delicate balance between learning at speed and pushing too hard. These sentiments will be tested as the Engen Xtreme team head to Killarney for round two of the national Bridgestone Production Car Championship.

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BPCC: Audi dominates at opening round of Super Series season‏

Audi South Africa Press Release

THE four Audi S4 quattro entries in the Bridgestone Production Car Championship produced a dominant start to the 2014 season, clearly stamping their authority on the Super Series right from the outset.

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BPCC: Engen Xtreme champion Michael Stephen shines in the wet

Engen Motorsport Press Release

The Engen Xtreme team opened their 2014 national racing season on a strong note. The brace of Audi S4 quattros contested the first round of the Super Series at Zwartkops Raceway on Saturday, claiming second and fourth overall on the day.

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BPCC: Stephen leads Audi S4 1-2-3-4 in quattro weather at Zwartkops

By Johan Laubscher

The first race meeting of the 2014 South African Bridgestone Production Cars Championship was very successful for the Audi teams. Both races at Zwartkops were won by Audi S4 drivers.

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BPCC: Audi Sasolracing dominated the first race at Zwartkops

By Johan Laubscher

The first race of the 2014 South African Bridgestone Production Cars Championship concluded with race victory for Audi Sasolracing this afternoon.

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BPCC: Audi Sasolracing S4 quattro 1-2 pole position at Zwartkops

By Johan Laubscher

The 2014 South African Bridgestone Production Cars Championship is getting underway at Zwartkops this weekend. Four Audi S4 cars are being fielded by two different teams. The cars showed well during practice and pole position went to the Audi squad.

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BPCC: Engen’s Xtreme Team charged up for first round

Engen Motorsport Press Release

The Engen Xtreme Race Team tackles the first round of the 2014 season at Zwartkops Raceway on Saturday, 1 March. Two Engen Audi S4 quattros will again take the challenge to their competitors – and have to be considered the favourites at this year’s opening event.

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