Press Release from Audi South Africa
It was a tough day in the office for the trio of Audi S4 quattros when they tackled the sixth round of the WesBank Super Series at Phakisa on Saturday. Class A of the Bridgestone Production Car championship was a hotbed of action as the racers fought for position – and points.
For championship leader – and the defending champion – Michael Stephen (A1 – Engen Xtreme / Tsogo Sun) the first race saw him cross the finish line just behind Melvill Priest (A7 – Mueller Sport Medicine) who claimed fourth spot.
“The qualifying did not go as planned, so eighth was the best position possible to achieve on the grid. The aim then was to finish as high as possible in race one,” says Stephen. “Here I was focused on getting to fourth, but the fifth place played into our hands when the first six cars were inverted on the starting grid for race two. It was a good race day and I extended my championship lead to 19 points after this round.”
Stephen's teammate, Tschops Sipuka (A2 – Engen Xtreme / Tsogo Sun) crossed the line for sixth to make it a three-in-a-row finish for the Audi S4 quattros after the short six-lap sprint. The second race for the series got under way after a short break, with Stephen and Sipuka in the thick of things.
The pair thwarted all attempts to usurp their position and finished the race claiming the top two positions at the front of the field. For Priest this race did not go as well and he was two laps down on the rest of the field across the finish line.
“This was not an easy race meeting,” says Sipuka. “We were all fighting hard out there, especially in that second race! It was good, clean racing, just very demanding. The Audi S4 quattro performed very well and it produced a strong performance, it really felt good out on the track this weekend.”
The third race, by far the longest at 12 laps – double each of the previous races, took place as the race day turned to darkness. With most of the drivers resorting to using their headlights, there was no let-up in speed or pressure on the track.
Here Stephen again led the charge for the Audi S4 quattro racers, crossing the finish line in third place. Priest was next, in fifth, while Sipuka rounded out the trio in sixth position.
These results saw Stephen claim second overall for the day, adding a healthy dose of points to his championship tally with Sipuka in fifth and Priest in seventh place.
“The race weekend was good, even though it could have been better,” says Priest. “Second in the first practise showed we had the pace – and proved it again in the third practise session. Considering though that there was just 800th of a second between second and fifth place during the qualifying session it shows just how tough it was out there.”
“Even though our race results didn't show it, we certainly produced some of the quickest times out there and we'll be concentrating on translating that pace into the finishing positions we're aiming for,” says Priest. “We've spent just more than six months developing the Audi S4 quattro at this stage and have achieved excellent results in that short time.
“At Zwartkops we'll be looking to better that and claim the finishing positions we've been fighting for.”
Audi South Africa
Photos hosted at www.motorpics.co.za
More information:
During 1989 a very special Audi graced the race tracks of America, the Audi 90 IMSA GTO. The car became an instant cult classic with its immense presence and its engine note. The turbo charged five cylinder sound will forever be remembered by everyone who have heard it. 
One such video is included below. The video features Hans-Joachim Stuck talking about the Audi 90 IMSA GTO and the engineers discussing the direct connection between the legendary race car and the current Audi TT RS. Enjoy:
