Round 3 of the Bridgestone Production cars took place at the Scribante, Port Elizabeth on the 30th April 2011. At the previous round of the championship, Michael and the Terry Moss Racing Engen Xtreme team launched the new Audi S4. After qualifying on pole position and winning the first race in Cape Town, Michael was confident of a good weekend at his home race in PE. The team had worked hard between races to sort out the problems that prevented him from capturing more wins in Cape Town. . Practice: During the practice sessions on Friday, Michael had a small issue in practice 1 that caused him only to do 2 installation laps. He played catch up for the rest of the day, trying to find the optimal setup for both qualifying and the races the following day. Having not topped the time sheets on Friday, Michael was still quietly confident that he could qualify in the front in the new Audi S4. Qualifying: Qualifying went well for Michael, obtaining 1st position on the grid and setting the fastest time a class A Production car has done on the Scribante race track, a 1min 6.406s, an average speed of 132km/h. Race 1 Having qualified on pole position, this meant that Michael would have to ADD 70kg to his car for race 1 and 2, as part of a handicap system the formula runs. Having chosen a rolling start, Michael got off the line well and headed into turn one in the lead. He put his head done and pushed in the opening laps to pull out a good lead. However, carrying the extra weight, his tyres started going off towards the end of the race but he managed to stay ahead of the pack and take the New Audi S4 to its 2nd race win. Race 2 With the top 4 inverted grid for race two, this left Michael starting from 4th on the grid. He had a good start and managed to maintain his position. After the pole sitting car was removed off the grid with mechanical problems, Michael remained in 3rd position for the opening laps. Contact between the two BMWs in front of him, allowed him the opportunity to get into the lead where he remained until the chequered flag, despite having to defend off a fast charging Subaru at the end. Michael took his second victory of the day. Race 3 The starting grid for race 3 is determined by the fastest laps in race 1. Having set the 2nd fastest lap, this meant that Michael would start 2nd on the grid and carry an extra 50kg handicap weight for race 3 and 4. Michael got off to an average start and dropped to 3rd position at the start. He was forced to go around the outside of turn one as a row of cars was on his inside. Into the Esses, Michael then got bumped by the BMW of Priest causing him to spin out. Michael recovered well and closed the gap to the front cars but ran out of laps to progress further than 8th position. Race 4 With only the top 6 being reversed for race 4, Michael would start in 8th position as a result of his finishing order in race 3. He got off to a bad start as a result of the car in front of him slowing before the line. (You are not allowed to pass the car in front of you before the start line). There was some carnage down the main straight which Michael avoided and set his sights on getting to the front. he charged down the cars ahead making great overtaking moves around the outside of the Esses and Hairpin corner. He then caught the Audi of Johan Fourie, who was smoking badly and leaking oil. As soon as Michael got close to the back of his car, he would slip and slide in the oil coming from the car ahead and he could not find a way past. Michael finished the race in 4th position, but inherited 3rd position when the BMW ahead of him got penalised for passing under a yellow flag early on in the race. Overall With 2 wins, a podium 3rd and an 8th in race three, this meant that Michael would take overall victory for the day. This is a great achievement for Michael and the team in only the 2nd race meeting in the new car. Michael has now moved into 3rd in the championship, only 12 points behind the championship leader. He is looking forward to the next round at Phakisa where he will be aiming for more wins and to move up to the top of the championship ladder. |
