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Showing posts with label VMP Motorsport. Show all posts
Showing posts with label VMP Motorsport. Show all posts

South African Production Cars kicks off at Kyalami with four Audi S4

Posted by just sharing Thursday, February 21, 2013 0 comments

By Johan Laubscher

The 2013 South African Bridgestone Production Car Championship gets underway at Kyalami this weekend. The Audi representation remains unchanged from 2012 as the same four Audi S4 race cars will line up on the grid. Terry Moss Racing returns with Michael Stephen and Tschops Sipuka. Reigning champion Stephen will be aiming to become the Class A champion for the third consecutive time during 2013. Terry Moss Racing will be joined by VMP Motorsport who will again be running a two-car team for Melvill Priest and Gennaro Bonafede.

The four Audi S4 race cars will face-off against the Class A grid which totals nine cars (provisional entry list). Two new Subaru Impreza WRX STi sedans and three BMW 335i race cars, along with the four Audis, complete the entry list.

Consistency proved to be the weapon of choice for Michael Stephen during 2011 and 2012, which ensured that he was crowned the champion for both seasons. Along with the double championship for Stephen the Audi S4 also remains unbeaten in the drivers’ championship since its introduction during 2011.

2013 should be another very exiting season with top quality drivers, cars and teams all battling on track for the South African championship. All three manufactures each achieved a race win during the three races at the 2012 season finale. This bodes very well for the upcoming event and the rest of the year. Gennaro Bonafede took his debut Class A victory that day, during a wet and wild third and final race on the day. 

The 2012 season finale was held at Kyalami, and South African fans will be delighted that the 2013 season opener will again be held there. This is of special significance as before the 2012 finale the previous round held at Kyalami was all the way back at the beginning of 2011. Various issues behind the scenes prevented the national championships from taking place at Kyalami, thus meaning that Zwartkops hosted most of the Transvaal events during 2011 and 2012. But for now everyone is delighted to see the national motorsport scene returning to what is arguably South Africa’s most famous race circuit.

It should be another impressive year for the Audi squad. The Audi S4 is a proven package and should be expected to run at the sharp end of the field. That said, the opposition are as strong and well prepared as always and the on track action will very closely fought.

Provisional Class A Entry List 
1 Michael Stephen Engen Xtreme/Tsogo (TMR) Sun Audi S4
2 Tschops Sipuka Engen Xtreme/Tsogo Sun (TMR) Audi S4
7 Melvill Priest Meuller Sports Medicine (VMP) Audi S4
8 Hennie Groenewald Sasol Subaru Impreza WRX Sti
9 Richard Pinard Sasol Subaru Impreza WRX Sti
10 Etienne van der Linde Afrox BMW 335i
14 Johan Fourie Afrox BMW 335i
32 Gennaro Bonafede Ferodo (VMP) Audi S4
81 John Mayer Tricor Signs BMW 335i

More information:
Production Cars FB page
Production Cars / Super Series website
Audi Motorsport in South Africa FB page


Photos from the Audi Motorsport in South Africa FB page / Johan Laubscher

A young new star driving the Audi S4 in South Africa

Posted by just sharing Wednesday, August 15, 2012 0 comments

By Johan Laubscher

Gennaro Bonafede
The latest news from South Africa is that a young star will soon be on track behind the wheel of an Audi S4. Gennaro Bonafede has made a name for himself on the South African motorsport scene. After moving through the formulas he debuted in the Bridgestone Production Cars in 2010. He made his debut in Class T for turbocharged cars such as the Golf GTI and the Ford Focus ST, amongst others. Armed with his Ferodo Golf GTI he finished runner up in his debut season, firmly establishing himself as a front runner in the series.  

Johan Fourie Racing A4
Some sad news had emerged from the sport during the week running up to round six of the Production Car series at Phakisa. The multiple championship winning team, Johan Fourie Racing announced that the team would be closing its doors. It was a tremendous loss to the series and South African motorsport as a whole. The news also meant that the team’s Audi S4 had become available to prospective teams. It did not take long for another team to purchase the Audi S4 and to prepare an entry into class A.

Gennaro Bonafede Ferodo Golf 6 GTI
The fact surrounding the acquisition of the S4 became known shortly after the Johan Fourie Racing news, but which team it was had not yet been announced. Rumours began circulating and finally the announcement was made. Gennaro Bonafede will be driving the Audi S4 in Ferodo colours run by VMP Motorsport. The move was initiated by Audi South Africa expressing a keen interest in seeing Gennaro racing the Audi S4. This is very exciting news for the series and fans alike. The VMP team are already running an Audi S4 in Class A for Melvil Priest and Gennaro’s Golf 6 GTI in Class T. The team is delighted to add another Audi S4 for their young star driver.

With Gennaro Bonafede success in Class T it was inevitable that he would move to Class A. It seems natural for him to step up to an Audi after his successes with its sister brand Volkswagen. The Ferodo Audi S4 once again raises the Audi S4 count to four in the series. Audi fans will be very excited as young new talent will represent the brand in Class A along with the other Audi S4 drivers.


We wish the best of luck and success to Gennaro and VMP with their new adventure in Class A, armed with the Ferodo Audi S4.

More information:
Gennaro Bonafede website
Gennaro Bonafede FB page
VMP Motorsport website
VMP Motorsport FB page
Ferodo Racing FB page
Audi South Africa FB page


Photos by Steve Wicks and www.motorpics.co.za 

Audi S4 quattro racers ready for PE charge‏ (South Africa)

Posted by just sharing Monday, April 23, 2012 0 comments

Press Release from Audi South Africa

THE Port Elizabeth round of the WesBank Super Series will see the Audi S4 quattro racers embroiled in a serious battle for honours. Round two saw all four Audi S4 quattro cars compete together for the first time and Scribante will be just the second opportunity for race fans to see this spectacle for themselves.

For defending Bridgestone Production Car Class A champion Michael Stephen (A1 – Engen Xtreme / Tsogo Sun), the PE round is an important part of his championship as it is his opportunity to compete in front of his home crowd. Stephen wrested the championship title from fellow Audi S4 quattro competitor Johan Fourie (A9 – EPS / IndyOil) at the end of last season, but Fourie is determined to fight back this year.


While Fourie is a Capetonian, his Audi S4 Quattro “lives” in PE and is prepared there. This means that Scribante is also his home track and where he does the bulk of his testing. Two Audi S4 quattros that consider PE to be there home ground is daunting enough for the opposition, but there are three Audi S4 quattros that hail from the friendly city.


Tschops Sipuka (A2 – Engen Xtreme / Tsogo Sun), teammate to Stephen, is also a Port Elizabethan and that makes a trio of Audi S4 quattros that have a very specific knowledge of the circuit – and a claim to homeground advantage. This is not going to make it easy for their opposition.


Factor into this equation Melvill Priest (A7 – Mueller Sport Medicine) who slid in behind the wheel of his Audi S4 quattro for this first time at the start of the 2012 season. Priest has indicated that he does not have quite the pace of the other teams as the development of his race car is a year behind the Audi S4 quattros.


The points don't seem to indicate any lack of pace on Priest's part though as he is currently the second highest scoring Audi S4 quattro entry this year, second only to the defending champion Stephen.


In fact, the Audi S4 quattro entries currently hold consecutive positions in the championship overall, fourth to seventh. This is quite an achievement considering Priest only started with his Audi S4 quattro this season and that Fourie missed the first round of the year completely!


Race fans in Port Elizabeth can look forward to serious action as this quartet of Audi S4 quattro racers push hard for honours and their opposition is going to be under serious pressure trying to keep up.


Audi South Africa
Photos hosted at www.motorpics.co.za

More information:

Audi S4 quattro quartet a force in the Cape‏

Posted by just sharing Monday, April 2, 2012 0 comments


Press Release from Audi South Africa

THERE are now four Audi S4 quattros competing in the Bridgestone Production Car championship – and Killarney was the venue for this quartet to compete for the first time. The event was round two of the WesBank Super Series which took place in Cape Town on Saturday.

The four cars are made up of defending Bridgestone Production Car class A champion Michael Stephen (A1 – Engen Xtreme / Southern Sun), Stephen's Engen Xtreme teammate Tschops Sipuka (A2 – Engen Xtreme / Southern Sun), the Mueller Sport Medicine Audi S4 quattro of Melvill Priest (A7 – Mueller Sport Medicine) and the EPS / IndyOil entry of Johan Fourie (A9 – EPS / IndyOil).

Fourie missed the first round of the championship held at Zwartkops Raceway but appeared determined to make up for it with his Cape Town performance. Fourie kicked off the event with the fastest qualifying performance in the championship, closely followed by Stephen.

Priest and Sipuka qualified seventh and eighth with Priest's team having to do quite a bit of work on his Audi S4 quattro after it was damaged during the practise sessions. A great deal of work later Priest described the car's handling as acceptable but not optimal. It didn't seem to slow him down much though.

In the first race Fourie kept up the performance of his qualifying session to claim the race victory with Stephen right behind him. Here Priest raced home to fifth place with Sipuka one place back. Race two again showed Fourie to be unstoppable in his charge for points and he claimed the chequered flag for a second time. Stephen crossed the finish line for fourth with Sipuka in seventh and Priest unable to complete the race – he missed a gear (second gear) on the start which allowed Stephen to pass. Brief contact between the pair resulted in a broken steering arm which meant Priest had to pull off and could not complete the race.

Race three saw Priest back on form, crossing the line for third with Stephen in fourth. Sipuka finished in ninth place but Fourie had to settle for 13th when the bonnet clips on his Audi S4 quattro snapped after contact with Stephen earlier in the race. The result was that his bonnet flew open, obscuring his view and smashing his windscreen and roof in the process.

Overall for the day Stephen claimed third place with Sipuka in fifth, Fourie sixth and Priest in eighth. The Audi S4 quattros will contest round three of the WesBank Super Series at Aldo Scribante Raceway in Port Elizabeth on Saturday, 28 April.


Audi South Africa
Photos hosted at www.motorpics.co.za

More information:
Bridgestone Production Cars FB page

Johan Fourie - Audi S4 (Johan Fourie Racing)

Michael Stephen - Audi S4 (Terry Moss Racing)

Tschops Sipuka - Audi S4 (Terry Moss Racing)

Melvil Priest - Audi S4 (VMP Motorsport)

Nieyaaz Modack - Audi A4 (Private ex-Johan Fourie Racing A4)

SA Bridgestone Production Cars and the Audi teams returning to Durban streets

Posted by just sharing Thursday, March 29, 2012 0 comments
2007 Durban Race

By Johan Laubscher

The South African Bridgestone Production Cars championship has provided many action packed race days for the South African fans. With some of the best drivers and teams in the country battling it out on track. The series will have a street race in Durban this year. The event will be part of the Top Gear Festival which will be held on a constructed street circuit in Durban during June 2012. The closing weekend of the festival will see a round of the Wesbank Super Series, of which the Bridgestone Productions Cars is a part of. Seeing the grid of Audis, BMWs, Subarus and the lower classes racing round a tight street circuit will be spectacular.

2012 Top Gear Festival Durban street track

This will not be the first time the series has graced the streets of Durban. In 2007, as part of the A1GP event in Durban on a street circuit, some of the national championships were invited as support events. The Bridgestone Production Cars was one of these series, and the racing it provided was spectacular. The cars battling and sliding around the twisty track made for a great spectacle which can be seen in the videos bellow.

The date for the race weekend is set for June 16. It remains to be seen how similar the 2012 race will  be to the 2007 A1GP race, but one thing is guaranteed, the racing will be close and fast.


A total of five Audis are entered for the event, which includes four Audi S4 B8 race cars and one Audi A4 B7 3.2.

Photos hosted at Motorpics.co.za and TopGearFestival.co.za

More information:
MotorPics
Top Gear Festival

Footage from the 2007 Durban races:

2007 Bridgestone Production Cars at Durban Race 1

2007 Bridgestone Production Cars at Durban Race 2

2007 Durban Race - Shaun Watson Smith - Terry Moss Racing Audi A4

2007 Durban Race - Melvil Priest - VMP Motorsport Audi A4

2007 Durban Race - Johan Fourie - Johan Fourie Racing Audi A4


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