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THERE is a new Bridgestone Production Car champion in class A, and it is Audi S4 quattro racer Michael Stephen (A3 – Engen Xtreme). Stephen wrapped up the 2011 championship title in a duel with fellow Audi S4 quattro competitor, Johan Fourie (A14 – IndyOil), at the final round of the series at Zwartkops Raceway.
After four action-packed races Stephen emerged victorious having claimed enough points to clear his rival and lift the winner’s trophy. Stephen won three of the four races and finished second in one to claim first overall for the day – a very high note on which to finish the season.
“Going into the final round with that one point difference to Johan as the championship leader put huge pressure on me,” says Stephen. “It was a huge relief to post the results and go from what could be to what is – a very satisfactory result and I’m sure it’ll only sink in by Monday.
“I’ve always said that, having studied mechanical engineering, that is my job, racing is my hobby,” says Stephen. “Here you get out what you put in and, having put so much time and effort into the car it is very rewarding, almost like winning a double championship!”
For Fourie the weekend was rather bittersweet, going from the championship lead to a second place for the season. While a second for the season cannot be considered a bad result, for Fourie there was the potential for so much more.
“We had lots of technical problems this weekend,” says Fourie. “When that happens it really counts against you as overtaking is very difficult at Zwartkops. Having to start at the back of the grid didn’t help and when the engine temperature soared I decided it would be better to park it.
“Yes, it was a bad weekend, but we still finished well ahead of the field so it has still been a good result for the year.”
Fourie is not the only one of the Audi S4 quattro competitors to experience some uphill at the final round of the season. For Tschops Sipuka (A4 – Engen Xtreme) things did also not go according to plan.
“The Audi S4 quattro was absolutely on song this weekend,” says Sipuka. “The guys in the workshop did a really good job as the car has never felt so good. Technical problems with the fuel pipe crept in though, and that caused problems.
“That fuel pipe meant the fuel pump itself was suffering and the effort simply killed the pump. It was shaping up to be a great weekend, but sometimes you just have to accept that things just do not go as you expect them too and you work towards the next event.”
The final event of the season proved tough on all the drivers, but the Audi S4 quattro competitors showed that a strong end of season comes from having a strong presence at every race meeting – strong enough to claim both the first and second places in class A of the Bridgestone Production Car championship.
STORY BY AUDI
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