Powerbrake™ Racing News
Sharl Parsad takes double-win first time out on Powerbrake
The second round of the Altech GT Challenge series was run at Zwartkops Raceway outside of Pretoria on the 18th of April 2009. The event saw Sharl Parsad (Forza Racing) return to the series after missing round one of the season due to a crash late last year during testing. Round two was Parsad’s first event in his new Ferrari 430 Challenge, which he moved to from the Ferrari 360 Challenge that he campaigned during the 2008 season.
Parsad’s car is fitted with Powerbrake’s new F430C race brake kit which features Powerbrake PB62E billet 6-piton race calipers and 2-piece GT series floating race discs front and rear. Click for more detailed information on this kit.
Parsad had to settle for fourth place on the grid after he got caught up in traffic during qualifying. This meant that he would have his work cut out for him during the two races that lay ahead. The first race got off to a frantic start with drivers fighting for position early in the race. Oliver Dalais (Porsche 917) made the most of his pole position and slotted into first place with Jeremy Pougnet (Ferrari 360C) and Parsad in hot pursuit. Dalais didn’t last longer than the second lap before mechanical gremlins put paid to his chances.
Pougnet didn’t think twice about snatching the lead with Parsad and the rest of the field all moving up one position behind him. The battle for the lead was now on with Parsad hunting Pougnet through every corner. He made his move on the third lap and took the lead with a well timed move through turn two. This battle would continue into the closing stages of the race. Parsad went on to take the Class B victory with Pougnet and Miller (Ferrari 360C) making it an all Ferrari podium.
The second race of the day would be double the distance of the first and with Zwartkops being the harshest circuit in the country in terms of brake temperatures and wear it would be a serious test of brake consistency for all teams. Parsad’s traffic issues in qualifying would again put him mid-pack in the field in terms of grid position. Pougnet got a terrific start with the rest of the field in hot pursuit. Parsad was making his way through the field rapidly making good use of the brake setup on his car during overtaking maneuvers and was soon onto the back end of his team mate Miller who was running in second place.
Parsad had to wait for the fifth lap before he could find his way past Miller. At this stage Pougnet had pulled away at the front and Parsad had his work cut out for him if he was going to get close enough to challenge for the lead. Consistent driving from Parsad saw him eat away at Pougnet’s lead for the next eight laps. Pougnet would succumb to the pressure on the penultimate lap as he lost the back end of the car coming through turn eight but did well not to hit the pit wall and recovered to rejoin in second place behind Parsad. Parsad went on to take a comfortable win ahead of a recovered Pougnet with Miller taking third place. In spite of other drivers experiencing brake issues during the second heat, Parsad commented that his brakes performed extremely well, remaining consistent throughout the race and were a strong point on the car.
