The Subaru WRX STI has never competed at the historic East London circuit so the 6th round of the Bridgestone Production Car Championship is a ‘greenfields’ outing for the Sasol-backed team.

“Top speed is king at East London”, asserts Carel Pienaar, SP Race Engineering Team Principal. “We know the Audis and BMWs are quicker in a straight line than we are, so our drivers will have to make up a lot of time in the back section. It will be something of a reality check for us”.

“I don’t know what to expect from the circuit”, Carel continued. “A lot will depend on how much sand has blown onto the circuit and how quickly the track gets cleaned up. Tyre wear shouldn’t be a big issue. The nostalgia factor is a good reason to race on the circuit but the facilities and track are in a poor condition. We will aim for consistency and bank whatever points we can get on the day which will put us in a strong position for the remainder of the season which will suit the WRX STI far better”.

Hennie Groenewald, Team Sasol Subaru’s championship contender, is 16 points adrift of the top spot with 40 up for grabs on the day. “I think we will be ok on the day; there’s a really big braking zone that could present a great slip-streaming and overtaking opportunity. The inverted grid for the second race of each heat could give me an opportunity to bag some solid points if I can build up enough of a gap on the twisty back part of the circuit”.

“The Subaru’s handling is great but we lack straight-line speed which may hamper us on the endless straight. The racing will be good and hopefully the Eastern Cape fans will watch us ght it out for the championship – every point earned here will stand me in good stead when we tally the score in November”, Hennie added. “The Audis have been throttled back a tad, as has the BMW, but they will be as strong as ever so the ght should be good to watch”.

Richard Pinard is realistic about his role in the team: “I am not expecting miracles so it will be a damage-limitation day for me to boost Hennie’s points as we head to Cape Town, Zwartkops and Kyalami, all circuits which suit the WRX STI far better. The championship is wide open and is going down to the wire”.

Improvements to Richard’s Subaru include attention to the brakes and tting new shock absorbers. “Brakes take a hammering at East London. The Cocabana braking point is the biggest of the year, so better braking is a big boost for me. East London is a great driver’s circuit but you don’t want to go off at Potter’s Pass or Rie Range. I can always hope for rain”, laughed Richard.

“The Audi’s will be quick again but they have been given a slightly smaller restrictor and the cars haven’t been stressed to the level they will face down the long straights so we will see what happens. We’re going; we’ll get it done and hope for a good weekend”.