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It was another successful day on the track for both members of the Engen Xtreme Team on Saturday at Kyalami. Simon Moss and Michael Stephen stepped on to the podium at the historic raceway in Johannesburg, with the pair achieving three podium finishes on the day. Moss again finished the day in second place overall, echoing his first round Sasol GTC Africa result from Killarney.
Stephen set the pace early on in his Engen Xtreme Audi A3 GTC. He qualified fastest, three-quarters of a second ahead of his nearest rival, to claim pole position for race one. But luck was not on his side, as an electronic fault in his dashboard put his race car in limp mode, relegating him from a strong lead to the back of the field. Instead of retiring, Stephen kept going to finish and take advantage of the second race reverse grid start which saw him in another front row start. Moss qualified sixth for the opening race but displayed both excellent pace and commitment, gaining five positions to finish in second place. Over the course of 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 in the process. For Moss though, a podium in race one saw him start at the back of the grid in race two as a result of the reverse-grid rule. “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,” says 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 the next round in 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 instinct and keep a sharp ear on the engine to manage gear changes. With n dials, no data – not even oil or water temperature – to guide him, the defending Sasol GTC champion beat the odds to record his first race win of 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 of 2017. Behind him, Moss was again involved in tussle after tussle as he negotiated his way through the field from the back of the grid. An impressive drive saw him improve his position as the laps went by, culminating in a well-deserved third place –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,” says Stephen. “In race one, the electrical 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 are in the bag and we go to East London strong.” The Engen Xtreme Team heads to the coast for the third round of the Sasol GTC Africa season, this time at East London on May 20. |
