A better ending to a race weekend for Johan Fourie could not have been scripted in Hollywood. After starting Saturday, June 16 with a fourth place in the day’s first Sasol GTC race, the EPS Racing BMW driver followed this up with a dominant win during the afternoon’s second race at the Border Motorsport East London Grand Prix Circuit.
Friday’s practice sessions went well for Fourie in his VM Innovations prepared car with strong pace throughout the day. Another positive was the fact that this also marked their first trouble-free practice day during the 2018 season which allowed the team to focus on their setup; a confidence building situation to find yourself in when heading back for the evening break.
Saturday morning saw the team being greeted by a large crowd despite the rather cool and windy conditions. Qualifying is always a closely-contested encounter with the first seven cars being covered by less than 0.9 of a second. Fourie set the fifth fastest time; 0.459 of a second slower than pole-sitter Simon Moss.
The first race provided excitement up front with the leading five drivers regularly alternating positions. Fourie found himself second in the running order during the middle part of the race. While jostling for position through the blisteringly fast Potter’s Pass, he had to take evasive action to avoid a serious collision. Living to fight another day came with a price tag though as Fourie finished the race in fourth position; narrowly missing out on a podium finish.
The reverse-grid for the day’s second race saw Fourie again lining up in fourth position. He soon made his way to second place in the running order behind Robert Wolk. On the second lap while heading into The Bowl down from Cocabana corner he made his move for the lead; a position he masterfully took and never looked back from for the remainder of the race.
Fourie took his second win of his Sasol GTC career; more importantly this ended the spell of bad luck which plagued the team throughout 2018 in the best way possible: “For me personally this win means such lot. There has been so many negatives for us this season; for us to come back with a result like this really means the world. We had a strong package throughout the weekend which I need to thank EPS Racing and VM Innovations for. I would also sincerely like to thank everyone who kept believing in me. We are back and we are not letting go of this momentum very easily”
Round 5 of the Sasol 2018 GTC Championship will see Johan Fourie and the EPS Racing team in action at the Aldo Scribante Racetrack in Port Elizabeth of Saturday, July 14.
Story by Reynard Gelderblom – Johan Fourie Racing