[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he start of a brand new national championship has held the motorsport fraternity’s attention for months now. That excitement manifested as the first national race day at Zwartkops Raceway on Tuesday, August 9.
For the Engen Xtreme Audi A3 sedans of Terry Moss Racing’s Michael Stephen and Simon Moss, the start of the six-round season proved an eventful one. The Sasol GTC season started off with a bang when Stephen immediately proved the fastest in qualifying and then went on to win both races from pole position on the grid.
“It was always going to be a dramatic start to our first GTC season,” says Stephen. “So many unknown factors could have played a role today, but preparation was the key to our success at Zwartkops.”
“The Engen Xtreme Audi A3 sedans are very quick, the 2.0T four-cylinder engines provided every ounce of power we could ask for and remained completely reliable throughout the event. ”
For Stephen, round one resulted in a championship lead while Moss has set his sights on round two to show his skill behind the wheel in the new series.
“It was a tough first round, I managed just 11 laps the whole event,” says Moss. “Teething problems got the better of my car, so every session seemed to throw another curve ball my team’s way. You do expect it, when you’ve just built a brand new car, but I’m looking forward to PE – with some testing and setup there, the Engen Xtreme Audi A3 will be strong and I’ll match Michael on laptimes.”
For Stephen and Moss, the second round of the Sasol GTC series will see them compete on their home turf at Aldo Scribante Raceway in September. That event is going to be all about qualifying pace as overtaking is a risky and difficult manoeuvre on the narrow circuit.
For the team the goal for round two of their national championship will be to get both Audi A3 sedans on the podium, in front of their home crowd in PE.
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