Engen Xtreme Team on the podium at Sasol GTC races
It was another successful day of national motorsport for both members of the Engen Xtreme Team. Simon Moss (38) and Michael Stephen (1) stepped onto the podium at Kyalami Race Track in Johannesburg on Saturday, between them the pair achieved three podium finishes in their Engen Xtreme Audi A3 GTCs – and Moss again finished the day in second place overall, echoing his first round result from Killarney.
Stephen set the pace early on, with the fastest qualifying time in the Sasol GTC Africa field, three-quarters of a second ahead of his nearest rival and claiming pole position for race one. A fault in his GTC’s dashboard put Stephen’s race car in limp mode during race one, relegating him from a strong lead to the back of the field. Instead of retiring, Stephen kept circulating to finish – because the second race was set for a reverse grid start and finishing at the back in race one resulted in another front row start.
Moss qualified in sixth for race one but displayed both excellent pace and commitment, gaining five positions to finish in second place in the nine-lap race. He took advantage of every opportunity to carve his way through the opposition for his first podium of the day, recording the fastest lap of the race for the GTC field in the process. For Moss though, a podium in race one saw him start at the back of the grid in race two, due to the reverse-grid start put in place for this second heat.
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“I just couldn’t find the setup for practice and qualifying, but I changed all that in race one, posting fastest lap and manoeuvring past the competition for second place from sixth,” said Moss. “With the reverse grid for race two, I started seventh and made my way past the others so I got really good championship points to add from Cape Town and things are really looking healthy for East London.”
“With the reverse grid for race two, I started seventh and made my way past the others so I got really good championship points to add from Cape Town and things are really looking healthy for East London.”
The break between races saw work on Stephen’s Engen Xtreme Audi A3 GTC get the defending champion ready to race – but without instruments. He was set to “fly blind”, having to rely on instincts and keep a sharp ear on the engine to manage gear changes.
No dials, no data – not even oil or water temperature – didn’t seem to slow the GTC champion at all as he recorded his first race win for the year. Nine laps of the demanding Kyalami circuit required total concentration from Stephen who made a quick dash for the front and then concentrated on pulling out a comfortable lead to take his first chequered flag this season.
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Behind him, Moss was again involved in tussle after tussle as he carved his way through the field. From the back of the grid, he again duelled with his rivals as he improved his position lap after lap on the way to third place – and his second podium finish of the day.
“Race day started with an excellent qualifying – a bit of a stunner for the people in pit lane,” said Stephen.
“In race one the problem with the dash, basically put my car into limp mode for the rest of the race. In race two we bypassed all of that to run without a dash but had to go old-school, listening when to change and lifting off for every gear change – but we managed successfully and it is a big morale boost for the team. Our season has now started, points in the bag and we go to East London strong.”
The Engen Xtreme Team heads to the coast for the third round of their national season, this time at East London on May 20.
Source: MotorPress