A win for Cronje and two podiums for Fourie at Killarney

ADF Motorsport’s BMW M Performance Parts BMW 335i class A contenders enjoyed a very successful outing in round two of the Bridgestone Production Car Championship at Killarney in Cape Town on Saturday, 29 March 2014.

Gavin Cronje, competing in his first season for the team in the premier class, claimed BMW’s first win of the new season in the 14-lap feature race, which scored double points, leading throughout. Earlier he had finished fifth in the opening seven-lap sprint race after qualifying fifth.

Team-mate and local hero Johan Fourie, a former production car champion, thrilled his many Cape Town fans with a fine overall performance on race day. He qualified second fastest just 0,17 sec behind defending champion and polesitter Michael Stephen and kept Stephen honest throughout the race, crossing the finish line just seven tenths of a second in arrears. He was credited with the fastest lap of the race.

He started the longer feature race in fourth place, based on his current championship position, and by lap four was chasing team-mate Cronje for the lead. He closed to just 0,21 sec when the chequered flag was shown and was again the driver with the fastest lap of the race. His two second place finishes gave him first overall for the day and a valuable 24 championship points.

“We had a great car on race day and I must thank the technical staff for all their hard work in ironing out the niggles we experienced throughout Friday’s official practice,” said Cronje. “They did a magnificent job in getting me ready for qualifying.”

“The car wasn’t quite right for race one, but the adjustment we made in between races was spot on and everything came together in race two.”

Fourie was equally enthusiastic about his race car. “The ADF Motorsport team was fantastic, as usual, and the car gave no trouble at all.  I love racing in front of my home fans at Killarney and today’s result was good for the team. Winning is always the first option and I’m looking forward to adding to the five victories I enjoyed in my first season with the team last year.”

The next round of the championship is at Port Elizabeth’s Aldo Scribante circuit ion the Eastern Cape on May 3.

ADF Motorsport enjoys support from BMW M Performance Parts, EPS Courier Services, Powerbrake and Sony Playstation. In addition, ADF has secured a deal with one of the world’s leading sponsorship and brand engagement agencies, Octagon.

Ends.

For questions on this press release, please contact BMW South Africa’s Group Communications and Public Affairs Division as follows:

Edward Makwana

Manager: Group Automotive Communications

BMW South Africa (Pty) Ltd

Tel: +27-12-522-2227

Email: edward.makwana@bmw.co.za  

The BMW Group

The BMW Group is the leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles in the world with its BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brands. As a global company, the BMW Group operates 28 production and assembly facilities in 13 countries and has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

In 2013, the BMW Group sold approximately 1.963 million automobiles and more than 115,215 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax for the financial year 2012 was 7.82 billion euros, turnover amounting to 76.85 billion euros. On 31 December 2012, the BMW Group employed a workforce of 105,876 .

The economic success of the company is based on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company has established ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain, comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to conserving resources as integral elements of its strategy.

BMW Group websites:

www.bmwgroup.com

www.bmw.co.za

www.mini.co.za

www.bmwmotorrad.co.za

www.bmwdrivertraining.co.za

Social Media Pages:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BMWGroup (BMW South Africa, BMW Motorrad SA, MINISouthAfrica)

Twitter: http://twitter.com/BMWGroup (@BMW_SA, @BMWMotorradSA and @MINISouthAfrica).

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/BMWGroupview (BMW South Africa and BMW Motorrad SA

Follow Team Castrol MINI John Cooper Works on Facebook on www.facebook.com/TeamCastrolMini