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A year’s worth of hard work and dedication from Michael Stephen will culminate in the final round of the 2009 Bridgestone Production Car Championship to be held at Kyalami on 17 October.
 Michael had difficult start to the season, with some mechanical problems and race incidents placing him around fifth place in the Class A Championship for the first part of the season. As the season began to wind down, Michael got to work putting in some solid point’s hauls and currently finds himself third in the title chase heading into the final round.
There is a sense of déjà vu surrounding the event. Michael went into the final round of the 2008 season in third place, with Johan Fourie first and Anthony Taylor second. This year’s order is exactly the same, although the point’s gap is different. The biggest difference between 2008 and 2009 is that this year’s season finale will be taking place at Kyalami whilst in 2008 it took place in Fourie’s hometown (Cape Town) giving him a huge advantage.
Kyalami puts the three drivers on a more equal footing, with each having won a race there this season.
“It is always difficult to beat Johan at Killarney and as close as I came at the last race, it wasn’t meant to be. I feel far more confident taking the field on at Kyalami, which is my favourite SA circuit. I realise that closing a 12 point gap is going to be tough at this level of competition, but my team and I are up to the challenge,” commented Michael.
 Michael’s recent success has earned him 85Kgs of success ballast and this will serve to make his job more difficult as he races against far lighter competitors at the demanding circuit.
“My task is therefore to finish ahead of Johan and Anthony to try and close the gap to the top of the championship log. At this stage, it is no longer about individual race performances, it is all about the bigger championship picture,” summarised Michael.
With three race wins and six more podium finishes this year, Michael is sure to produce some action packed racing as he strives toward championship glory.
Qualifying and both races will take place at Kyalami on 17 October 2009
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