MAZDA MOTORSPORT SHINE AT FINAL EVENT
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After a tough 2008 Bridgestone Production Car season, Mazda Motorsport put in a sterling performance at the final race held at Killarney
(Cape Town) this past weekend (15 November). Heinz Bose (MFC) and Etienne Prinsloo (BIZHUB) put in brilliant drives, showing the true potential of the Mazda 3 MPS as a top class racing car. Heinz surprised the class T competitors with a super qualifying lap that placed him on the front row of the grid. Etienne took a bit longer to get his car set-up and qualified eighth. The first race began with a rolling start and Heinz drove flawlessly to keep his second place. He held off the charging pack, taking the chequered flag in second place - Mazda Motorsport’s best result to date. Further down the field, Etienne drove hard to gain positions, he eventually crossed the line in sixth place ahead of current class T Champion, Iain Pepper. With the second race beginning with a partially inverted grid, Etienne would start from third and Heinz from seventh place. Etienne held onto third place off the start and put in a blistering second lap, taking the race lead. He lead the race for five laps before Gary van Heerden reclaimed the position. Etienne defended his second place for a further two laps before slowing on the penultimate corner of the final lap with badly damaged tyres. Heinz suffered some bad luck when Gary Formato slammed into the back of the Mazda, breaking the bootlid latch. Driving with the hatch open as air brake, caused the vehicle to handle terribly and Heinz was forced into retirement. “I had a great second race, the car was brilliant and had the pace to outdrive the competition. It is unfortunate that I had to slow down on the last lap, we had a race win in our sights,” commented an ecstatic although slightly disappointed Etienne. Heinz had the following to say after the race:” We came into the final event to prove just how competitive the Mazdas are. We succeeded in this goal hands down. The cars were strong, reliable and exceptionally fast.” Team Manager, Hennie Prinsloo wrapped up the year by saying, “It has been an uphill climb to get the racing cars into this position. I feel that the hard work has finally paid off with Heinz finishing second in the first race and Etienne leading for most of the second race. Watch out, we are going to be a force to be reckoned with in 2009.” |
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The final round of the Bridgestone Production Car Championship will be held at Killarney (Cape Town) on 15 October
2008 and Mazda Motorsport will be looking to end the year on a high note. The two Mazda 3 MPS vehicles have show great pace and reliability in the past two events, with Etienne Prinsloo (BIZHUB) taking a fifth place finish at Zwartkops and Heinz Bose (MFC) narrowly missing out on a podium finish with his fourth place at Kyalami. This was no easy feat when you consider that there are 17 entries in the class. “We have worked unfalteringly on the vehicles all year and I am pleased with the progress that we have made. We have taken two standard road cars and turned them into a force to be reckoned with on the racetrack. The problems we have had during the year all involved specially engineered racing parts. We have gained valuable knowledge with every race and believe we will be at our strongest at Killarney,” commented Team Manager Hennie Prinsloo. At their strongest they have proven to be, Bose’s quickest lap time at Kyalami in March was 2:03.481, at the last race (also held at Kyalami) Bose set a time of 1:59.270. An improvement of over four seconds in a matter of just seven months. When one considers that qualifying is usually won or lost on a few tenths of a second, the Mazda team’s achievements are something to be proud of. Heinz Bose had the following to say: “Although this will be the last event of 2008, we will work continuously to ensure that we are at the front of the pack in 2009. I am going into this race with a podium finish as my aim.” “Every circuit has been a new learning curve for us this year, we now have set-up data available to us for each circuit and we can focus more on our personal performance knowing that the car is strong and reliable,” concluded Etienne Prinsloo in a post race interview. |
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Mazda Motorsport were well represented at the ninth round of the Bridgestone Production Car Championship held at
Kyalami this past weekend, 25 October 2008. The class T Mazda 3 MPS’ were in the very capable hands of Heinz Bose (MFC) and Etienne Prinsloo (BIZHUB), both drivers set very competitive lap times, but Bose stole the show. Bose featured in the top half of the class throughout Friday’s practice sessions, but things went awry during qualifying when a shock damper broke early on in the session. Prinsloo was unable to set his usually quick qualifying time, struggling to get a clear lap in the traffic. Prinsloo’s fate was sealed during Saturday morning’s warm-up session when he too experienced shock absorber failure. He lost control of his Mazda, going backwards into a tyre barrier. This rendered his BIZHUB example unable to continue, with major structural damage. The first race began with a rolling start and Bose managed to pass three competitors on the first lap. He worked his way up to seventh place before retiring with a broken power steering pump. Bose had to start from tenth place on the grid for the all important second race. He made, what can only be described as a blistering start, moving from tenth to third on the first lap. By the second lap, Bose was in a huge tussle with Gary van Heerden (Opel Astra OPC) for second place and a lap later Bose had taken the position. Bose tried to chase down race leader Gary Formato (Ford Focus ST), but quickly came under attack from Graeme Nathan (SEAT Leon Cupra). Bose and Nathan came down the main straight with more than their door mirrors touching and Nathan forced his way into second place. Iain Pepper (VW GTI) also got into the action and he and Bose had a titanic seven lap battle for third position. The two swapped positions and paint to the finish line, with Pepper marginally ahead. The pace and reliability of the MPS proved that the long hours of testing had finally paid off. The team have found a setup that can make the tyres last the race-distance, a major hurdle thus far. “It was a bit disappointing having Etienne retire, we tried something new on our shocks but made a mistake and it was too late to make any changes. I am however very happy with Heinz’ result. It is fantastic to see the Mazda’s true potential at the front of the field,” commented Team manager Hennie Prinsloo after the race. The final event of the 2008 season will take place at Killarney in Cape Town on 15 November. |
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The 2008 Bridgestone Production Car Championship is rapidly heading toward conclusion and Mazda Motorsport will
be looking to make an impact at round 9 of the WesBank Super Series to be held at Kyalami on 25 October 2008. The team will enter two Mazda 3 MPS’ in class T of the championship, as well as a Mazda RX8 in class B. The MFC backed MPS will be in the hands of Heinz Bose, whilst 2007 Car Magazine Rookie of the Year, Etienne Prinsloo will be behind the wheel of the BIZHUB example. Ben Morgenrood has clenched the Class B championship and will be out to have some fun in his Agip RX8. The team has been making continuous strides forward with the Mazda 3 MPS’ and are looking strong for the upcoming race. Team manager Hennie Prinsloo had the following to say, “We have worked hard throughout the year to develop the cars into thoroughbred race vehicles. We have overcome our initial electriconic gremlins and are now happy with the reliability of our race-engineered parts. Our biggest challenge is currently making our tyres last the full race distance and we have been in consultation with Bridgestone’s technical department in this regard.” Heinz and Etienne have both adapted their driving styles to suit the Mazda 3 and have been setting exceptionally competitive lap times in the last few events. “The cars feel strong and I am confident that we will be able to turn our hard work into a good result,” commented Heinz during pre-race testing. The Mazda crew will be facing tough opposition from the VW GTIs, Ford Focus ST, Opel Astra OPC and SEAT Leon Cupra teams. |
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Heinz Bose (MFC) and Etienne Prinsloo (BIZHUB) represented Mazda well in round eight of the Bridgestone Production
Car Championship held at Zwartkops this past weekend (6 September). The team didn’t have a great start to the weekend after missing most of Friday’s practice sessions. This was however through no fault of the team as their new differentials only arrived on Thursday night. After struggling to put the new diffs into the cars, it was discovered that the supplied mounting brackets were incorrect. After an uphill battle, new brackets were machined on Friday morning. After having only one session to bed brakes and set-up his Mazda 3 MPS, Bose was thrown straight into the qualifying session. He created some magic by putting in the sixth fastest lap, with a time just six hundredths of a second slower than third place. Bose had a great start to the first race, passing Gary van Heerden (Opel Astra OPC) and Shaun Duminy (Ford Focus ST) in the first lap. Bose drove hard to keep the Opel and Ford behind him, but couldn’t keep them at bay. Lee Thompson (VW Polo GTI) joined the fray and the four drivers had a battle royal over fourth position. Unfortunately, by lap 11 Heinz started to experience problems with his tyres and began to slow. Prinsloo’s first session of the day was the qualifying session and he had much work to do as he only had time for one flying lap before the session was concluded. This definitely hindered Prinsloo’s usually fast qualifying and he had to settle for 12th. The class T field is exceptionally competitive and Prinsloo found himself in a huge mid filed brawl with GTI drivers Iain Pepper, Michael van Rooyen, Graham Donker, Peet Visagie and Mark Carver. After an exhausting race, he crossed the line 10th. It was however in the second race that Prinsloo really shone. He had a brilliant start, taking his MPS from tenth to sixth on the first lap. By lap three, Prinsloo had taken another place and was sitting in a proud fifth position which led to an action packed race with Shaun Duminy, Iain Pepper and Peet Visagie. Prinsloo got ahead of Pepper and kept Visagie at bay. He held onto fourth position for three laps before being beaten to the line by Lee Thompson. Bose retired with a broken boost pipe. “We are ecstatic with Etienne’s race two result and can only get stronger from this position. I really believe that Heinz was robbed of fourth place in the first race due to tyre problems. Although this was beyond our control, it is still immensely frustrating,” reflected team manager Hennie Prinsloo after the race. Bose had the following to say after the race,"We got the lsd differentials on Thursday afternoon at 16:00. We worked through the whole night to fix the problem." He continued by stating that "This is the 6th time that tyre failure has robbed us of good result." Ben Morgenrood took both victories in class B, once again demonstrating the dominance of his Mazda RX8. The next event will take place on 25 October at the Kyalami Grand Prix circuit in Midrand. |
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Round seven of the Bridgestone Production Car Championship is set to take place at Zwartkops Raceway (Pretoria West) on 6 September 2008 and Mazda
Motorsport will once again be well represented. MFC driver Heinz Bose continues to be partnered by BIZHUB driver Etienne Prinsloo, as the two take on the Class T field in their Mazda 3 MPS’. Etienne, who was named as Car Magazine’s 2007 rookie of the year, impressed the motorsport fraternity at the last event, taking his car to third place on the qualifying grid at Phakisa. “The drivers have been showing tremendous qualifying pace at the last few events and the team are happy with how well they have adapted and grown their driving styles to demonstrate the speed of the MPS’,” observed Team Manager Hennie Prinsloo during a testing session. He continued by saying “We have been working extremely hard to ensure that the cars can withstand the stress of running at 10 tenths for an entire race distance. Every new driver / vehicle combination experiences teething problems in the beginning and we have had our fair share. I am confident that our time to really shine is now here.” The Pretoria based team will be looking to use their home ground advantage to its fullest as both Heinz and Etienne have vast experience around the Zwartkops circuit. That being said, they will face strong opposition from the Ford Focus ST, Opel Astra OPC and VW GTI/SEAT teams. The class T racing has been exceptionally close and exciting this year and this raceday will be no different. Mazda Motorsport’s ambition will be to turn their excellent qualifying pace into a race win. With this in mind they will be frantically finding a way to make the tyres last for the full race duration. In class B, Ben Morgenrood will be looking to continue his dominance in his Mazda RX8. Ben has all but clinched the championship for a second successive year, although Danie van Niekerk (Ford Fiesta ST) and Kosie Swanepoel (Toyota Run X) will be looking to topple the champion at Zwartkops. Feel free to drop in to the pits for a visit and join the team in their onslaught for class supremacy. |
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The Mazda 3 MPS had an outstanding weekend at Phakisa, contesting round 7 of the Bridgestone Production Car Championship. The results clearly don’t show
the remarkable pace that the team had all weekend and if it wasn’t for cruel luck, there would have been some highly deserved silverware on offer. Both Heinz Bose (MFC) and Etienne Prinsloo (BIZHUB) gave early intention of their plans by consistently putting in some remarkably quick times in all of Friday’s practice sessions. In an outstanding qualifying effort, Etienne managed to stop the clocks third fastest, behind the SEAT of Graeme Nathan and the indecently quick Opel of Reghard Roets. The team were ecstatic and still congratulating themselves when an equally inspired Heinz Bose moved up to fourth on the grid, fractionally slower than Prinsloo, allowing Mazda to lock-out the second row of the grid. Race one started with bad luck for Etienne as he developed a leak in the fuel rail, costing him valuable fuel pressure. He struggled for four laps before retiring in order to have the part replaced for heat 2. Heinz moved up to third place, marginally behind the leaders, whose pace he was able to match for 6 of the 8 laps. He suddenly felt the handling of his car deteriorate and then heard the flapping sound of a tyre delaminating. Heinz was forced to slow the car and return to the pits. The team were devastated by the double dose of bad luck and due to a lack of parts only managed to get Heinz’ car ready for heat 2. “Away races are very difficult for the team,” lamented team boss Hennie Prinsloo, “it is impossible to know what parts to pack and we obviously can’t take everything.” Heinz took to the track in 12th place and after a scintillating start was sixth going into the fast sweep. Lining Nathan up for an attack, Heinz noticed Nathan slow and leave a gap. Thinking Nathan had a problem, Heinz dived for the apex of the corner, only to see Nathan resume a racing line and turn right into his path. The two collided heavily, the impact taking Nathan out of the race on the spot and deranging the alignment of the stricken MFC backed Mazda. Heinz held his fifth place for another two laps but was forced to retire with the car becoming un-driveable. In class B, Ben Morgenrood took his Aqip Mazda RX8 to two victories, despite having to change the engine on Friday night. This fantastic result has all but guaranteed Ben the 2008 Championship title. The next event will be at the Pretoria-West circuit, Zwartkops, on the 6th September. |
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The next round of the Bridgestone Production Car Championship will take place at Phakisa Freeway on 9 August, 2008 and Mazda Motorsport will be suitably
prepared to contend for the top positions. Mazda Motorsport will once again field vehicles in the ultra competitive Class T with the MFC backed vehicle in the hands of Heinz Bose and the BIZHUB challenger being driven by, 2007 CAR Magazine Rookie of the Year, Etienne Prinsloo. “The first few months of development has been a challenging phase,” says team manager Hennie Prinsloo. “Developing any road going car into a competitive race car has its challenges. But the team has made huge strides over the past six months and going forward everyone is very optimistic. “At the very first race of the 2008 season, which was held at Kyalami, the team’s best lap time was completed in 2:02.446. At the last event, also held at Kyalami, Etienne set a qualifying time of 1:59.105. A huge advancement by anyone’s standard.” Heading into round six of the championship, the team are confident that they will have the pace to challenge for top positions. “We have been testing as often as possible and focusing on the cars’ endurance capabilities. We have shown that we have good qualifying pace and now need to turn that pace into a strong race finish,” remarked team driver Heinz Bose. Teammate Etienne Prinsloo shares similar sentiments. “With the amount of race preparation that has gone into the cars, the team’s labour is sure to reach fruition in Welkom,” he says. In terms of the RX8, Ben Morgenrood is currently dominating the Class B title chase and will be looking to continue his good form. His biggest challenge will come from Danie van Niekerk in a Ford Fiesta ST and Kosie Swanepoel in a Toyota Run X. |
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The results from East London certainly had the entire team upbeat with regards to their pace and they set about the Kyalami event with vigour.
Practice times during the day were encouraging and qualifying produced a momentary lapse for one of the cars. Etienne Prinsloo took his BIZHUB sponsored Mazda 3 MPS to a great time, qualifying in fifth place, a mere 1/10th of a second behind championship leader Graeme Nathan’s SEAT. Despite Heinz’ MFC example making a bad choice on a suspension change he was only 5/10ths behind his team mate. Ordinarily this would not have been an issue but with the close racing of class T it placed him 3 positions behind Etienne in eighth place. An impressive start saw Heinz carve his way through the pack, quickly moving up to fifth place. He was marginally behind the VW GTI of Curt Alchin and ahead of the similar car of Graham Donker. It was pleasing to see him well clear of Gary van Heerden in the rapid Opel Astra OPC. Unfortunately an electrical gremlin had crept into Etienne’s wiring and produced a misfire forcing a premature end to his race. Heinz started race 2 in fourth place but was squeezed out of place by Graeme Nathan’s SEAT who brought Reghard Roets’ Opel Astra OPC with him, relegating Heinz to 6th place. Driving consistently, he managed to stay with the frenetic pace of the race-leaders and moved up a place when the Ford Focus ST of Gary Formato rolled heavily after an off-track excursion. With two laps to go, however, Heinz felt the handling of his car deteriorate suddenly and realised that a tyre had failed. The car became unmanageable and a heart-broken Heinz was forced to retire on the grounds of safety. Etienne unfortunately was unable to beat the electronic problem and joined Heinz as reluctant spectators. “Etienne’s problem is one that we can sort out,” lamented team boss, Hennie Prinsloo, “it is something that we can expect to happen at this stage of our development but to be robbed of a great result by a tyre failure is very difficult for us to accept. We realise that these things happen in racing but it is completely out of our control and not the fault of any of our team,” he concluded. On a positive note though, the cars are rapidly becoming a force to reckoned with and have attained a huge following of proud Mazda fans. Mazda Motorsport will continue their quest for class T laurels at the next round of the championship on the 9th August at the Phakisa Freeway in Welkom. |
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Mazda Motorsport have really come into their own in the Bridgestone Production Car Championship and are ready for round six of the series to be held at
Kyalami (5 July). The team have in their arsenal, two Mazda 3 MPS entries in class T and a Mazda RX8 in class B. Class T The previous event held in East London three weeks ago, succeeded in highlighting the MPS’ competitiveness amongst the gaggle of Ford Focus STs, Opel Astra OPCs and Volkswagen GTIs. With their best finish to date, Heinz Bose took the chequered flag in fourth position, demonstrating the strength and reliability that the team have been so eager to reveal. With no technical issues hindering the team’s progress, huge strides have been made for the upcoming event. To begin with, the vehicles are now proud owners of top-notch motorsport suspensions. The suspensions are designed to give the team more freedom in terms of setting up the camber and toe on the vehicles and will ultimately give the drivers better cornering. When the competition is this close, those extra tenths of a second could be the difference between fourth place and first. Testing at Zwartkops has been positive and the team have two more test sessions booked before race day. On a driver side, Kyalami is Heinz Bose’s favourite circuit and he will be putting his passion and circuit knowledge to full use. Heinz is also quick to point out that Etienne Prinsloo has excelled in the car and has set two sterling qualifying laps in the past two races. With two strong drivers, the competition within the team is valuably fierce. The drivers are pushing each other to the limit and will be taking the fight to the competition. “Class T is ultra competitive and all of the teams are making continuous strides forward. Until recently, we were the ones playing to catch-up, but I believe we have not only caught up, but exceeded the competition’s advances,” proclaimed team manager Hennie Prinsloo. “We have the necessary weaponry and now need to take the fight to the competition.” With the continued support from MFC and Bizhub, the team are sure to put on a great performance. Class B At the half way point in the 2008 season, Ben Morgenrood has established himself as the class B points leader. It would at this stage appear that nothing can get close enough to the RX8 to pose a threat to Ben’s second consecutive championship title. Ben can however not rest on his laurels as the slightest error would allow his closest rival, Danie van Niekerk (Ford Fiesta) a chance at the race win. Kosie Swanepoel and Shaun Pike, both in Toyota Run Xs, will also be waiting in the wings for a glimmer of race win hope. “If I look back at the year, we have had a good run. We were unlucky in Cape Town to be involved in an accident, but it has been smooth sailing from there on. Together with Agip and my team, I will continue to pursue the 2008 Championship,” commented Ben. All in all, the Kyalami event will be action packed. |
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A number of great results have caused the Bridgestone Production Car protagonists to sit up and take note of the fledgling Mazda Motorsport team. The
Mazda 3 MPS has certainly caused a stir this past weekend in East London and has shown a huge improvement in both outright pace and reliability. The two cars, raced by Etienne Prinsloo (BIZHUB) and Heinz Bose (MFC) turned their fortunes around recently and were a thorn in the side of many of the established front-runners. Etienne had a fantastic qualifying session, slotting his Mazda into 4th spot, well ahead of some very big names. His pace saw him outrun the Polo GTI of current Volkswagen Cup Champion, Lee Thompson. He also managed to oust the Mini of Silverwood and the VW GTI of reigning class T champ, Iain Pepper. When the lights went out, it was an inspired Heinz Bose, who had the Mazda fans on their feet, with some blistering laps and a number of hair raising passes. He slotted his MFC backed Mazda 3 MPS into the top six, looking certain of giving the team their first podium finish of the year. A suspension problem slowed his progress though and both he and Etienne had to limp their ill-handling cars to the finish. A quick chat to the Bridgestone technical team showed that the tyres were being run with significantly low pressures, which seriously hampered their longevity. On the positive side, the cars both achieved times in the top 5 of the class, a clear indication that they have arrived at the sharp end of the field. Some rudimentary adjustments were made to the set-up of both cars and the tyres were given more air pressure before heat 2. Heinz had a great race start to the race, mixing it with the front runners and setting the second fastest lap in the race. It is pertinent to note that his best time (1:32,897) was quicker even than eventual race winner, Iain Pepper (1:33,088). He managed a credible 4th place, agonisingly close to the team’s first podium finish. “I am absolutely thrilled with the progress that we have made in the past 2 weeks. The cars are really strong and have proven to be capable of running with the best,” quipped Heinz. Etienne had a good run and was enjoying his scrap when he glanced at the turbo-boost gauge. The gauge showed no boost and Etienne was concerned that he had damaged the turbo. Etienne rightfully slowed his car and came into the pits to have the problem checked. It was thankfully found not be anything more than a vacuum pipe leading to the gauge but had, due to the pit stop, unfortunately ended his race. “I thoroughly enjoyed the weekend,” commented Etienne. “The practice sessions are not long enough to see what effects 10 laps of hard racing will have on the car and tyres so it is left to the races to test certain components at their limits. Each race sees us get closer to the front and we are now knocking on the door,” he concluded. With a good fourth place in the bag and reliability problems sorted out, the team look forward to Kyalami on the 5th July, where it is hoped that Etienne can emulate his qualifying success and Heinz will finally climb onto the podium. In class B, Ben Morgenrood ruled the roost, taking his customary pole position and then managing to hold off the bevy of youngsters to record two excellent class wins. Ben has a healthy lead in class B, a championship which he looks almost certain to defend. |
MAZDA MOTORSPORT EAST LONDON PRE-RACE REPORT
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Class T After a disappointing outing at Zwartkops, the BIZHUB and MFC backed Mazda 3 MPS’ will be in full force at the East London Grand Prix Circuit on 7 June 2008. “The team are working exceptionally hard and it is heart breaking when new teething problems continuously crawl out of the woodwork. We demonstrated at Zwartkops that we have the pace of the front runners and now need to work on the car’s reliability. Our biggest hurdle is overheating. As soon as the Mazda falls into the slipstream of the car in front, the engine begins to run hot, we are working on a solution to this problem. We are half way through the 2008 season and the pressure is certainly on us to deliver a good result,” said a concerned team manager Hennie Prinsloo. Although the team’s hard work and dedication has not come to fruition on the track, team technician Michael Fiess was named as the Johnnesway mechanic of the day at Zwartkops. This after he worked throughout the night to repair Heinz Bose’s MPS. The East London Grand Prix Circuit is Etienne Prinsloo’s favourite destination, he won his first ever Bridgestone Production Car race there and won both races at the picturesque location last year. Although the class T competition is far greater than that of class C last year, it will be Etienne’s golden opportunity to shine. Class B In class B, Ben Morgenrood will be looking to defend his current championship lead in his Aqip sponsored RX8. Ben had a perfect weekend at Zwartkops, qualifying on pole position and winning both races. His biggest challenge in East London will come from Danie van Niekerk in the Ford Fiesta, who failed to finish at Zwartkops after his engine was damaged. With six races left on the 2008 racing calendar, Ben is looking good for his second successive championship title. |
MAZDA MOTORSPORT SEEKS HOME GROUND ADVANTAGE
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With the 2008 Bridgestone Production Car Championship well underway, the Pretoria based Mazda Motorsport team are looking forward to the next event
at Zwartkops Raceway (Pretoria West) on 24 May 2008. The team will enter two Mazda 3 MPS’ in class T, with the MFC backed vehicle in the hands of Heinz Bose and the BIZHUB example being driven by 2007 CAR Magazine Rookie of the Year, Etienne Prinsloo. Reigning class B champion Ben Morgenrood will continue to defend his title in the Agip backed Mazda RX8. Class T It certainly has been an up hill battle to get the Mazda 3 MPS’ running at the sharp end of the field. As with any newly built racing car, technical glitches have been prevalent and the last race at Aldo Scribante was no exception. The team have however kept their heads held high and have trudged forward toward what they anticipate to be a race winning stallion. The outright pace shown in Port Elizabeth is cause for alarm among the class T field. “I believe that we have resolved all of our reliability issues and can now begin to focus on getting the best performance out of the 2.3 litre DISI turbo engine,” commented team manager Hennie Prinsloo during a recent test session. “Due to both drivers being away on business between the previous two events, we have not had the luxury of pre-race testing and I am satisfied that our testing schedule in back on track.” Both Etienne Prinsloo and Heinz Bose have huge amounts of Zwartkops track time under their belts and this will definitely be their chance to show the MPS’ true racing calibre. Class B After two second place finishes in Port Elizabeth, Ben Morgenrood is hungry for the race win at Zwartkops. This goal is certainly not pie in the sky if you look at Ben’s 2007 record. Ben took two convincing wins at Zwartkops last year and is poised as the favourite this year. The RX8’s main rival is expected to be the Ford Fiesta ST driven by Danie van Niekerk, but the gaggle of Toyota Run X’s could still cause an upset. |
A MUCH BETTER WEEKEND FOR MAZDA
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CLASS T The Mazda 3 MPS’, driven by Heinz Bose and Etienne Prinsloo, continue to knock on the door of the Bridgestone Production Car class T front runners. The vehicles show moments of brilliance, but niggling teething problems continue to plague the team. Heinz Bose had a good qualifying session in his MFC backed Mazda, setting the fifth fastest lap. He missed fourth place by just 0.063 of a second, whilst pole position was just four tenths away. Bizhub’s Etienne Prinsloo was slightly further a field, qualifying in tenth position. Race one got underway without too much trouble, but Heinz lost a place to Iain Pepper in a GTI by the end of the first lap. He recovered quickly, passing Graham Donker (GTI) and a struggling Curt Alchin (GTI). Now in fourth place, Heinz had a podium finish in sight. Before he could get to the back of Pepper however, a titanic three way battle developed. Heinz had to go on the defensive to try and keep Mark Silverwood (Mini Cooper S) behind him. This slowed the duo down, allowing Phillip Kekana’s SEAT Leon Cupra to join the fray. The aggressive driving began to take its toll on the Mazda’s brakes before a boost pipe blew off forcing the MPS to slow and return to the pits on lap 6. Etienne didn’t have it any better, as the boost pipe on his Mazda ruptured before the end of the first lap. With both cars repaired, Heinz and Etienne had it all to do, starting from 9th and 11th places respectively for the race two rolling start. Heinz had a fair start to the race and made short work of getting past Peet Visagie (GTI). Heinz worked his way into seventh place before the chequered flag ended the race for the ultra competitive class. Original race winner, Gary Formato, was penalised 30 seconds for jumping the start, thus moving Heinz into sixth position for the race. Etienne Prinsloo retired from the race on lap nine with a badly slipping clutch. “The weekend was disappointing for us, but we once again leave the event with invaluable knowledge that will help us develop and improve the MPS’. We are confident of a good showing at Zwartkops,” assured team manager Hennie Prinsloo after the race. CLASS B After a disastrous Cape Town event, Ben Morgenrood was determined to set the record straight in his freshly rebuild Agip sponsored Mazda RX8. He stamped his authority, in a way that only Ben can do, by putting his car firmly on pole position for the first race. Ben had a slight lapse in concentration at the start and allowed Danie van Niekerk (Ford Fiesta) to pass him. He attempted to drive around van Niekerk at every opportunity but eventually decided that settling for second place and a guaranteed six championship points was the most responsible decision. With race two being run with an inverted grid, Ben had to start from sixth place for the rolling start. Riyad Jaffer (Toyota Run X) had no idea what happened off the start line, as Ben bombarded past him. In lap two, Ben picked off the Toyota Run Xs of Mark Carver and Shaun Pike. Now in third place, Ben had Danie van Niekerk and Dave Compton to contend with. Unfortunately, there just weren’t enough laps left to catch the front runners and Ben settled for third. Ben finished second overall for the day. |
MAZDA MOTORSPORT PORT ELIZABETH PREVIEW
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CLASS T The Mazda 3 MPS’ impressed Killarney spectators with their pace. Heinz Bose (MFC) set the second fastest qualifying lap and was quick enough to lead both races. Oil on the track surface led to his demise in race 1 and he was unceremoniously punted off the track in heat 2 which led to a set of results which did nothing to attest to the fine pace and excellent handling of the Mazda 3. Etienne Prinsloo (BIZHUB) was unfortunate to have suspension problems with his dampers but showed good form and consistent lap times. The Aldo Scribante circuit should favour the Mazda duo, who, with their 2,3 litre turbocharged engines, will enjoy the long main straight and then put their limited slip differentials to good use on the tight and twisty infield. “Every circuit holds new challenges for us as we need to start our set-up from scratch, I can’t wait for the second half of the season when we have enough data on each track to begin a serious onslaught,” commented team boss, Hennie Prinsloo. Both class T drivers are confident of their chances in Port Elizabeth and both have fond memories of race wins at the circuit. CLASS B Cape Town turned out to be a battle with bad luck for Ben Morgenrood and bad luck won, 2-0. After qualifying on pole, disaster struck early in the first race when an oil pipe on the RX8 burst, leading to an early race exit. Even though the damage was repaired, Lady Luck struck again in the second race. Whilst taking evasive action in order to avoid two spinning class T vehicles, Ben lost control of his Mazda and ploughed into the concrete pit wall. By the end of the weekend Ben had lost his Championship lead by one point to Danie van Niekerk in a Ford Fiesta. All however was not lost as the wily Randfontein veteran has had his team working furiously to build a new car in the short 3 week break during races. The fast and twisty nature of the circuit always suits Ben’s driving style and the horsepower advantage he holds down the long straight should see him ahead before the series of tight corners and high-speed sweeps, where he can use his race-craft to great advantage to keep off the youngsters behind him. |
MIXED FORTUNES FOR MAZDA MOTORSPORT
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The Mazda Motorsport team experienced both ends of the fortune spectrum this past weekend, when they moved down to Cape Town’s Killarney circuit for
round 2 of the 2008 Bridgestone Production Car Championship. CLASS B Reigning class B champion, Ben Morgenrood, had a day he would rather forget as the normally unstoppable Mazda RX8 met with a sad demise. After qualifying his rotary powered steed on pole position, Ben was embroiled in a titanic struggle with local-boy Danie van Niekerk and his Ford Fiesta ST. The pair had moved well clear of perennial race winner, the Toyota RUN X and were having an entertaining race when an oil pipe burst on the Mazda. Ben was at the bottom of the high speed pit-straight when the disaster occurred, the oil instantly coated his tyres and he summarily spun off into the outfield, having a huge moment which was compounded when the field of cars behind him suddenly found the oil and began skating off the circuit and directly at him. Ben’s crew worked like Trojans to get the car ready for race 2 but more misfortune was to follow. During the second race, Ben was following 2 class T cars when one of them put a wheel off the circuit and began to skid. The GTI driver was unable to recover the car and smote the unforgiving pit wall. The following Renault Megane was powerless to avoid the flying debris and crashed heavily into the stricken GTI. Ben swerved in an attempt to miss the two cars but soon found the heavily-reinforced pit wall. He thumped into the wall with a sickening thud, instantly writing off the RX8 and doing his championship lead irreparable damage. CLASS T The euphoria in the class T pit was tangible as Heinz Bose was fast enough to qualify his MFC Mazda 3 MPS on the second row of the grid, fractionally behind stable-mate Gary Formato’s Ford Focus ST and Iain Pepper’s GTI. The Mazda was the victim of electronic gremlins at Kyalami, during its debut race three weeks before and although everybody expected the car’s performance to improve no-one suspected that the improvement would be as emphatic. The BIZHUB example of Etienne Prinsloo suffered a broken shock absorber and struggled with the handling. The shocks were flown back to Johannesburg after qualifying where they were repaired and returned on Saturday morning. When the race started, Heinz was almost instantly thumped by the SEAT of Graeme Nathan. The impact caused damage to the gearbox as Heinz was changing gears at the time but more unfortunate, was that the accident allowed a number of cars to pass Heinz, dropping him to seventh. He fought back to fourth place, having a great race when the Morgenrood oil incident occurred, Heinz spun on the oil sliding off the circuit and recovering in eighth place. Etienne had suffered more bad luck with a split water pipe causing his motor to overheat. So, despite great pace and excellent track position, an eighth place was all the team had to show for their efforts but they were upbeat and confident, looking forward to race 2. Heinz led the field from the start and held the lead for a number of laps until an over ambitious move by MINI driver, Mark Silverwood, destroyed Heinz’ race. The MINI seemed to outbrake himself at the bottom of the pit-straight, crashing heavily into the Mazda and kinking the exhaust in the process. The car lost power instantly, began overheating and had to be nursed home to fourth place. “It is unfortunate that the results don’t show the actual pace and the massive improvement of the car,” said team boss Hennie Prinsloo. “We were desperately unlucky today and yet had a day that any team would be happy with. We have shown that we have both the power and handling abilities to be serious title contenders,” he concluded. “I am thrilled with the performance of the Mazda and the reliability that we have found,” commented team driver, Heinz Bose. “We seem to have given the opposition something to think about but more importantly, we have managed to put lots of laps under our belt which has gained invaluable information for the team to work on between races.” Mazda Motorsport will continue their title challenge at the Aldo Scribante circuit, outside Port Elizabeth on the 25th April 2008. |
MAZDA MOTORSPORT LOOKING TO ZOOM IN CAPE TOWN
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The newly formed Mazda Motorsport brigade take up the cudgels for round 2 of the Bridgestone Production Car Championship this weekend (April 5)
at the picturesque Killarney circuit in Cape Town. CLASS T The MPS development programme has gone well since Kyalami and the team have managed to debug their systems from the minor teething problems they experienced. Straight line speed is impressive and will play a major part in the outcome of the Killarney race meeting. The nature of the track lends itself to a heavy reliance on horse-power with two ultra-long straights and a third fairly long straight leading into a high-speed turn. This is where the Mazda 3 MPS will hope to stretch its long legs and move away from the opposition, lead by two SEAT Leon Cupras, followed closely by a horde of Volkswagen GTIs. The newly built Ford ST has shown impressive form and may well challenge the Mazda 3. The class is rounded out by 2 MINI Coopers and a Renault Megane. In all 16 combatants will do all in their power to wrest honour from the mighty Mazda 3 MPS duo of Heinz Bose, racing the MFC sponsored car and Etienne Prinsloo in the Bizhub example. “Although Kyalami results seemed to be disappointing it was an invaluable learning experience for the technical team who were able to document facts and figures which would have taken us months to achieve through normal testing,” commented Heinz Bose. “The most important thing that emerged from Kyalami was the comparative pace of our opposition, it gave us a chance to pit our car against others enabling the team to gauge our strengths and weaknesses,” team boss Hennie Prinsloo quipped. Racing pundits will tell you that it takes at least one complete season to develop a new race car and this type of cross-country racing is part of the process. The team have tested and raced at the hot and dry Midrand based circuit, revelling in the high altitude turbo-boost levels. They have no idea though, of what awaits them at sea level, with relatively low temperatures and moist humid air. It will, however, give them a great deal of experience for the upcoming third round in Port Elizabeth, which will be a virtual duplication of the Cape Town settings. So the learning curve continues for the Mazda Motorsport team – new circuits, new conditions and new challenges. CLASS B Veteran saloon car ace, Ben Morgenrood, seems to be starting the 2008 season where he left off last year, at the front of a hard-charging pack. The challenge this year though, is not from the Toyota RUN X gaggle, as expected but rather from the Ford Focus of Capetonian, Danie van Niekerk. Ben had two epic struggles in Kyalami but managed to hold off a hard charging van Niekerk on both counts for victory. Things may not be as simple this time round as the local boy with many testing laps at Killarney under his belt will do everything in his power to overcome the rotary powered RX8. “I expect a tough battle from the Ford but don’t discount the 5 Toyotas, I think they were caught by surprise at Kyalami and will be a lot more competitive for the Cape Town round,” said Ben. The amiable Randfontein motor-dealer currently leads the championship point’s standings, a lead he will want to consolidate at Killarney, his favourite circuit. |
MAZDA MOTORSPORT TO LAUNCH EXCITING NEW CARS AT KYALAMI
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Former Volkswagen exponents, Heinz Bose and Etienne Prinsloo are on the brink of one of the most exciting bits of news that Production Cars have to offer.
The launch of the all-new Mazda 3 MPS, set to make its debut this weekend, heralds the return of a ‘sleeping giant’ in Mazda. The ultra-competitive Mazda
brand has been synonymous with circuit racing victories for decades. Ben Morgenrood, is probably the most famous Mazda racer, with many race and
championship wins in both Modifieds and Group N. If pre-season testing is anything to go by, the newly built Mazda 3 MPS models should be super-competitive from the word go. The cars have not had the benefit of competing any race-long distances yet but seem extremely quick in a straight-line with some minor understeer problems in the corners. The benefit of having a ‘set-up expert’ like Heinz Bose in the team will be invaluable as he will be able to identify and cure most handling problems. The cars both look and sound sensational, being built to the highest specifications by the skilled crew at their Kyalami based workshop. Using the standard Mazda 3 MPS as a starting point gave the team a whopping 193kw platform with no less than 380Nm of torque to play with. The turbo-charged four cylinder motor is the strongest in its class and after a few development races, will be the pace-setter in this ultra competitive class. Heinz Bose, after a decade of racing in various VW models had made the transformation to the Mazda 3 MPS and will be racing in the MFC colours. MFC (Motor Finance Corporation) are well known in the vehicle leasing field as an innovative and dynamic group, much the same as the Mazda Motorsport Team. The Prinsloo family are thrilled to be involved in the project and young Etienne, who is the current CAR Magazine Rookie of the Year, has shown huge potential and maturity during his brief 2 year stint in National Championship racing. After initially campaigning a class T GTi, Etienne moved to class C where he soon proved to be a thorn in the side of many more experienced competitors. He raced a Polo TDi narrowly missing the class championship last year. He will be racing his Mada 3 MPS under the Bizhub banner, a brand involved with the printing giant, Konica-Minolta. Racing legend, Ben Morgenrood, completes the Mazda portion of the team, entering his championship winning Mazda RX 8 in class B. Ben began 2007 rather cautiously taking a few races to acclimatise himself to the robust Bridgestone Production Car scene. He was soon doing what he does best….winning races. By the season end, Ben had amassed a huge lead, giving the raucous Mazda a championship win in its debut season. He once again takes on the likes of the Toyota Run X and Ford Fiesta for class B supremacy. Etienne’s father, Hennie is the managing Director of Venditor Konica-Minolta and has been a stalwart for his sons, Etienne and Ian. Taking the reigns as Team Principal, Hennie will use his considerable managerial and organisational skills to ensure that the team is run both competently and efficiently. Daughter, Estee, joins the team in a public relations capacity and will use her dynamism to good effect, taking care of sponsors, functions and team livery. Young Ian Prinsloo is once again going to race his Polo Tdi under the Venditor Konica-Minolta banner. His inclusion in class C of the championship will be his first race in many months as he broke a number of bones in his hand last year, in a freak pit lane accident, which saw him side-lined for three months. He will use the experienced gleaned from 2007, his first year in saloon car racing, to good effect as he takes on the class C brat pack. |
MAZDA MOTORSPORT SET TO DEBUT AT KYALAMI
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Mazda Motorsport is set to make its Class T Production Car introduction at Kyalami Grand Prix circuit on Saturday 15 March.
The event marks the debut outing of this year’s 10 round National Bridgestone Production Championship. Piloting the two newly prepared Mazda3 MPS models will be Heinz Bose in the Motor Finance Corporation (MFC) colours and Etienne Prinsloo, who will be racing under the BIZHUB banner. The team will have their work cut out for them in what is emerging as one of the most competitive classes in this year’s circuit racing calendar. Catering for turbo-charged cars under 200kW, the Class T field will see no less than 17 competitors represented by seven manufacturers. The newly built Mazda race cars have undergone extensive development during the lead up to the event. A pre season test session revealed promising results, however the real test of their abilities will only be known when the lights go green and the racing gets underway at Kyalami. “We are looking forward to this weekend’s event,” comments Hennie Prinsloo, team principal. “The team has done a great job in getting the cars ready and everyone has worked really hard on the development of the cars. “We no doubt still have a long road ahead of us. As with any new team we are likely to experience some teething problems along the way however we are confident in the package we have and look forward to taking on the opposition this weekend,” concludes Prinsloo. The Mazda3 MPS is powered by a 3-litre DISI Turbo engine, which produces190kW @ 5,500rpm and maximum torque of 380Nm @ 3,000rpm, making it the one of the most powerful front-wheel drive cars on the road today. The sporty hatch features a Limited Slip Differential and boasts a 6-speed manual transmission. |
MAZDA MOTORSPORT PROGRAMME LAUNCHED
  TEAM PILOTS, HEINZ BOSE (LEFT) AND ETIENNE PRINSLOO (RIGHT)  PICTURED FROM LEFT ARE HEINZ BOSE, ETIENNE PRINSLOO, HENNIE PRINSLOO AND IN FRONT, HARRY BOTES (MAZDA 3 BRAND MANAGER) |
In a glittering function at the Emperor’s Palace, near Johannesburg, the launch of the Mazda Motorsport Team was announced.
The team will compete in the Bridgestone Production Championship, South Africa’s premier racing category. Selected as the flagship model to fly the Mazda flag, is the current king of the hot-hatch brigade, the Mazda 3 MPS. Boasting 190kw the MPS is set to dominate proceedings in the competitive class T (for force-inducted petrol engines) and will do battle against the Golf Gti, SEAT Leon Cupra, Renault Clio Sport, Opel OPC and stablemate, the Ford Focus ST. In all 17 cars will be racing for honours in this hotly contested class. The driver line-up is headed by Heinz Bose, already a veteran in racing terms, having won many championships in Volkswagen products is keen to prove that he is not a one-make specialist. Heinz is a competitive racer, blessed with natural talent and a keen sense of technical set-up which will be invaluable in the Mazda project as there is no tried and tested suspension settings to fall back on. Backing him up will be Etienne Prinsloo, the current CAR Magazine Rookie of the Year, young Etienne has been racing for most of his life and has proved himself to be a hard charger, especially in the rain. Etienne narrowly missed winning the class C championship in 2007 and will hope to continue his good form in 2008. “I am thrilled that we have finally got the cars finished,” commented team principal Hennie Prinsloo, “the hard work has been done and now we can concentrate on getting the cars competitive before the season starts” he concluded. The Mazda 3 MPS cars will be backed by Bizhub (Office Automation marketed under the Konica Minolta banner) in whose colours Etienne will run and the vehicle financing giants, MFC – whose livery will adorn Heinz’ car. The 2008 season opener will see the team debut at Kyalami on the 15th March. |