The Nissan Dealer Team of Leeroy Poulter and Marco da Cunha experienced mixed fortunes in the opening round of the 2009 Bridgestone SA Production Car Championship at Port Elizabeth’s Aldo Scribante circuit on Saturday.
Poulter, the 2006 national production car champion and reigning Rotax Max DD2 karting world champion, was making his first appearance for the privately-run SAM Racing outfit after competing in recent years for Nissan Motorsport and finishing second in last year’s class A championship. After qualifying fourth for race one in car #2, the GP Windscreens Nissan 350Z, Poulter just missed out on a podium finish and had to be content with fourth behind 2005 champion Anthony Taylor (BMW 330i) and the Audi A4 quattros of reigning champion Johan Fourie and Michael Stephen.
He had made a great start and was third as the field swept through turn one, but clashed with Melvill Priest (Audi), who took the outside line at the end of the start/finish straight and crowded Poulter off the tarmac in the Esses.
“I lost momentum and this allowed both Melvill and Dawie Olivier (Subaru) to pass me,” said the 28-year-old Poulter. “The contact affected my wheel alignment and I wasn’t really able to attack the corners as I would have liked.”
He passed the Subaru on lap two to take third place and came under immediate attack from Stephen’s Audi. Making his Nissan as wide as possible, he held off the Audi for five laps. “I was battling to stay ahead of Michael and when Priest went out I decided to stop fighting and settle for fourth and conserve the car for race two.”
Da Cunha, in car #9, the Tubular Nissan 350Z, was a lot less fortunate, getting caught up in a big first lap accident that was not of his making and which saw the immediate retirement of Robert Wolk (BMW), who caused the accident when he drove on to the dirty edge of the circuit at the start and speared back on to the tar, collecting Audi A4 quattro team-mates Michael Stephen and Shaun Watson-Smith.
Da Cunha, the 2000 Formula GTi and SA drivers’ champion, was unable to avoid the melee and found himself catapulted into the marshal post at turn one, the Nissan rearing frighteningly up on its nose before crashing back on to its wheels.
“It was the worst accident I’ve had in my career,” he said. “I hit the cloud of dust, saw cars everywhere and the next thing I thought I was going to roll over.” said the 26-year-old.
The cars of Wolk, Watson-Smith and Da Cunha were out of the race, which was red-flagged before the first lap was completed and re-started after the debris and cars were cleared away.
With the traditional reverse grid in place for the second of the two 12-lap races, Poulter started from fourth position on the grid and was well-placed into the first corner. It was a typically hectic start with cars banging door handles down to turn one and side by side though the first corner. Poulter was immediately engaged in a close encounter with the Audi of Fourie for third place, the two racing side by side through to the Hairpin.
They exited he tight right-hander together and Fourie had the inside line for the next left-hander. He leaned on the Nissan through the turn and Poulter went wide and on to the loose edge of the circuit. He dropped back to fifth behind Olivier (Subaru), but managed to get back to fourth by the end of the lap after contact with the Subaru in the final turn.
Poulter then came under attack from the Audis of Watson-Smith and Priest and the three were covered by less than half a second as they battled for third in the early laps.
“There was some oil on the circuit and this caused my tyres to slide around and grain, so I had to back off a little and dropped behind both the Audis,” said Poulter. “As the tyres came back I was able to close up on Priest at the end, but was disappointed to finish sixth. I think we had a podium in us for both races today.”
Da Cunha, whose SAM Racing team did a great job of getting his car ready for race two, avoided the opening lap skirmishes and settled for a steady if unspectacular drive in a car that was not really set-up to his liking, eventually finishing a safe seventh overall behind team-mate Poulter and ready to fight another day.
Lee Philips, team principal: “It was a rough – and expensive – start to the new season. We struggled a bit to get the best out of our cars after a lot of preparation and encouraging test sessions at Zwartkops.
“I’m pleased with Leeroy’s debut for the team and with both cars back in top shape at the next round at Kyalami (on March 28) we expect to feature even more prominently in the results.”
Provisional results – race 1 (12 laps, 29,76 km): 1 Anthony Taylor (BMW) 13m 57.27s; 2 Johan Fourie (Audi) +1,68s; 3 Michael Stephen (Audi) +6,60s; 4 Leeroy Poulter (Nissan) +12,92s; 5 Dawie Olivier (Subaru) +17,03s; DNF Melvill Priest (Audi) 5 laps; DNS Robert Wolk (BMW), Shaun Watson-Smith (Audi) and Marco da Cunha (Nissan). Fastest lap: Priest, 1m 8,76s on lap 3.
Race 2 (12 laps, 29,76 km): 1 Stephen (Audi) 14m 1,59s; 2 Fourie (Audi) +4,88s; 3 Taylor (BMW) +5,33s; 4 Priest (Audi) +5,52s; 5 Watson-Smith (Audi) +6,48s; 6 Poulter (Nissan) +7,40s; 7 Da Cunha (Nissan) +10,91s; 8 Olivier (Subaru) +21,64s.
Fastest lap: Priest, 1m 9,08s on lap 3.
SAM Racing acknowledges and thanks its sponsors for their continued support: Tubular Technical Construction, Exa Motor Group, Ferodo, GP Windscreens, Global Consulting Solutions, Exa Platinum Rentals, Imperial Chauffeur Drive and Signs For You.
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