Gold medal performances by BMWs in Free State

The Free State Goldfields circuit of Phakisa Freeway proved once again to be a happy hunting ground for BMW when the ADF Motorsport-prepared Alcohol Killer BMW 335i M Performance Parts cars of Johan Fourie and Gavin Cronje took convincing back-to-back first and second places in round five of the Bridgestone Production Car Championship on Saturday.

It was the team’s second successive 1-2 following a dominant class A performance at the ultra-fast and daunting East London Grand Prix Circuit four weeks ago, with former champion Fourie taking the honours in all four races.  He has now won five races in a row since the feature race in round three in Port Elizabeth in May, a winning streak that sees the Capetonian establish a useful 20-point lead over defending champion Michael Stephen of Port Elizabeth, who finished fourth and third at Phakisa. Fourie has 136 points to Stephen’s 116.

Despite his dominance of the day’s racing, Fourie was just one point short of scoring a full-house 35 points (3 for pole position, 10 for winning race one, 20 for race two and a bonus point for fastest lap in each race), as he did in East London, with the bonus point for fastest lap in the feature race going to Hennie Groenewald.

Cronje, who recently moved to Pretoria from Johannesburg, weighed in with a useful 26 points for the day to close the gap to third-placed Gennaro Bonafede to eight points (91 to 83).

“It was a great performance by both drivers, who did exactly what was asked of them and put us in a strong position to challenge for the championship in the remaining three rounds,” said a delighted team principal, Donovan van Heerden.  “We knew we had to take full advantage of the BMW’s strengths at East London and Phakisa, two fast circuits that suit us. Now we must score as many points as we can on circuits that probably favour our all-wheel drive rivals more.

“Johan is on fire and showing all the skill and commitment that won him the championship in 2009. Gavin gets better with each outing and is proving to be a great team-mate in his first season in the premier class, taking valuable points away from our championship rivals.”

“What can I say?” asked Fourie with a big smile on his face. “It’s all going so well for us right now. A lot of hard work and preparation is paying off and now we must work even harder to maintain our lead in the championship.”

Cronje continues to enjoy his first season behind the wheel of the rear-wheel drive BMW. “Yes, I’m having a lot of fun,” he admitted. “I really enjoyed the battle with Gennaro (Bonafede) for second place in the feature race today. It’s hard work and we are up against some tough competition. Having such a competitive car and backed by a truly crack team of technicians and engineers, makes life a lot easier, though. I’ve now been on the podium for the last four races and we need to keep this up if we want to bring both cars home in the top three in the championship.”

In addition to Alcohol Killer, ADF Motorsport enjoys support from BMW M Performance Parts, Powerbrake and Sony Playstation, and works with one of the world’s leading sponsorship and brand engagement agencies, Octagon.

The next round of the championship is at Zwartkops Raceway near Pretoria on August 30.

Ends