Round 4 of the Bridgestone Production Car Series took place at the Phakisa raceway near Welkom on Saturday 4 June, delivering lots of racing action as expected. Van Rooyen qualified on pole in the Williams Hunt Opel Astra OPC, nearly a second faster than former SA champion Gary Formato.
Race 1 saw van Rooyen get a demanding lead in the first 2 laps while Formato and Nathan battled for 2nd position. When Nathan eventually took 2nd position he caught van Rooyen, but van Rooyen eventually won by less than a tenth of a second from Nathan.
Race 2, the first 6 positions were reversed. Van Rooyen was challenging for 2nd position when the safety car was deployed. When the race resumed the first 6 cars dashed to the finish with van Rooyen losing out and finishing in fifth.
The next race was a first for the season, being a 2 hour endurance race, with 2 compulsory drivers. Van Rooyen was joined by Devin Robertson. The OPC started on pole, having the fastest lap in the first race, and quickly built up a good lead. After 3 compulsory 5 minute pit stops and 55 laps later, the Opel took honours in class T, 3rd place overall, beating several class A cars to the finish.
“The car was exceptional this weekend, and so was my co-driver. The hard work between races paid off and we have an extremely good package at the moment. The team did an excellent job preparing the car and were brilliant during the pit stops. With the teams hard work and dedication we won our second event overall.” concluded an overwhelmed van Rooyen
Next round – Aldo Scribante, 6 August 2011.
