Heinz Bose was fast enough to qualify his Mazda3 MPS on the second row of the grid. Teammate Etienne Prinsloo was less fortunate with a broken shock absorber causing handling difficulties, which were repaired in time for Saturday’s race.
Bose got off to a rocky start when the lights went green for heat one. Graeme Nathan in the SEAT thumped into the back of Bose’s car causing damage to the gearbox and allowing a number of cars to pass him. He quickly fought back, moving from seventh up to fourth place, only to spin out on oil and finish in an eventual eighth place.
Race two saw Bose leading the pack for a number of laps only to be hit from behind by the MINI of Mark Silverwood. The damage resulted in Bose nursing the Mazda3 MPS 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, however we showed that we have both the power and the handling abilities to be serious title contenders.”
“I am thrilled with the performance of the Mazda,” commented team driver Heinz Bose. “We seem to have given the opposition something to think about.”
Mazda Motorsport will continue its title challenge at the Aldo Scribante circuit, outside Port Elizabeth on the 25th of April.
Mazda Motorsport would like to thank the sponsors Bizhub, Konica Minolta, MFC and Mazda S.A. for their support.
