***********************************************************
Colin Windell  
CyberRace Inc  (c) 1995. All rights reserved
***********************************************************

ZWARTKOPS AN UNKNOWN QUANTITY

Invigorated by their win at Kyalami recently, the Rothmans Audi team 
are going to the ninth and tenth rounds of the AA Fleetcare Super 
Touring Championship at Zwartkops on April 29 with the express 
intention of winning.

"The track is still an unknown quantity for us," said Andre van der 
Watt, Manager of Audi Sport. "We will be doing intensive testing in 
the week prior to the race to learn the right setups for the circuit 
as well as to test the new aerodynamic packages on the two Rothmans 
Audi quattros.

"The revised aerodynamics consist of new splitters and wings and are 
the latest 1995 specification homologated by the FIA and we hope the 
increased downforce provided by this new package will help with both 
straight line stability and cornering speeds."

Van der Watt added the double victory by Volvo at the Brands Hatch 
round of the British series had given added encouragement to the 
Rothmans Audi team.

"Volvo's wins on Dunlop tyres have shown clearly this is the right 
choice of rubber for touring car racing and more than justifies the 
time we have spent tyre testing with Dunlop.

"In our own situation the difference between our first visit to 
Kyalami and the last race meeting there was 2,5 seconds a lap - much 
of which could be attributed to correct tyre selection and the right 
choice of compound. Naturally, our on-going engine development 
programme played a significant role in the improved performance of 
both cars and we hope to have completed further improvements in time 
for the Zwartkops race meeting."

Van der Watt pointed out the tight and narrow Zwartkops track 
required precision driving and tyre management techniques from the 
drivers.

"Zwartkops, because it is so narrow, tends to be far less forgiving 
than Kyalami for example when the tyres start to go off," he said. 
"The driver that is precise and looks after his tyres will have 
something of an advantage in the latter stages of each race.

"From previous experience at Killarney we know the two Audis have 
significantly less tyre wear than some of the other teams and both 
Terry Moss and Chris Aberdein will be using this to their full 
advantage at Zwartkops.

"Of course, if it could rain it would be a bonus," he grinned.

For Opel the Kyalami round became an expensive one with extensive to 
both Vectras - Mike Briggs shunting his car heavily in the wet 
conditions when he slid off into the armco at Total and Grant 
McCleery damaging the front end of his car in a coming together with 
Chris Aberdein's Audi.

However, with Briggs still the clear points leader, the Opels (and 
Briggs particularly) remain the team to beat in the South African 
series.

Another unknown quantity will be the performance of the two Sasol 
Ford Mondeos on the tight two kilometre circuit. Without the benefit 
of power steering the Mondeo is a heavy and difficult car to drive 
and both Sarel van der Merwe and Steve Wyndham will have their work 
cut out wrestling the cars through the six major turns that make up 
the circuit.

=ends=

***********************************************************
Colin Windell  
CyberRace Inc  (c) 1995. All rights reserved
***********************************************************