Adrian Zaugg, South Africa’s sole representative in GP2, the ultimate stepping stone to Formula One, will make a surprise guest appearance at the wheel of a class A Lotus Exige in the fifth round of the Bridgestone South African Production Car Championship at Phakisa Freeway in the Free State this weekend.
In South Africa for a short holiday with his Cape Town-based family between rounds of the Europe-based GP2 series, the 23-year-old former A1GP driver will be making his first-ever appearance in a racing car with a roof. The winner of three races at the wheel of A1 Team South Africa’s Vulindlela in the now defunct World Cup of Motorsport, Zaugg has only ever raced in karts and single seater open wheel formulas like Formula BMW, Formula Renault, A1GP and GP2.
“The offer to drive the SP Race Engineering Lotus Exige came as a big surprise and I am excited about the opportunity to make my production car debut in South Africa this weekend,” said Zaugg.
“I must thank Francois Pretorius, managing director of Motorsport South Africa, who organised this one-off drive, and also Carel Pienaar of SP Race Engineering for making his car and his technical team available to me for what I am sure will be a highlight of my motor racing career. It is also a great opportunity for me to remind the fans and the South African public that you have a very proud representative in GP2 and that I value your support and encouragement.”
While he will be up against the cream of South African’s current crop of production car drivers, who will be very much at home on their own turf and in a formula of racing they know well, their Europe-based countryman can be expected to give a good account of himself and show his many fans what it takes to reach the level of a professional GP2 driver.
Bridgestone Production Cars headlines a full programme of national championship races that form the WesBank Super Series and which are making their first visit to Phakisa near Welkom this year.
STORY BY PETER BURRROUGHES COMMUNICATIONS
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