• 2nd place in Race 1 for Saood Variawa
  • 1st place in Race 2 for Michael van Rooyen
  • 3rd place in Race 2 for Mandla Mdakane
The weekend of 5-6 August saw the Global Touring Car (GTC) action move to the East London Grand Prix Circuit, where TOYOTA GAZOO Racing SA’s drivers achieved significant results, despite facing a variety of challenges.

Young gun Saood Variawa got his weekend off to a solid start by putting his Toyota Corolla GTC on the front row of the grid during qualifying. He trailed polesitter Bradley Liebenberg by just 0.3sec at the end of the session, despite recording only one flying lap during the session. He spun off in the fearsome Potter’s Pass bend on his next attempt, and had to call it quits on the session. At the same time, Michael van Rooyen went 4th-fastest, with Mandla Mdakane posting the 6th-fastest time.

During the first race, Variawa had to start on the outside of the track, making the entry into Potter’s somewhat more tricky. He lost one position as a result, but managed to regain the spot later in the race, to finish in second place after ten tough laps. Van Rooyen struggled with understeer on his Toyota Corolla throughout the race, but managed to maintain his position in fourth place until the finish. Mdakane gained one spot to finish in fifth, after an entertaining race that saw him right in the thick of the action.

Race 2 featured a reverse grid, putting Mdakane in second and Van Rooyen in third at the start. Variawa had to start near the back of the pack, but the youngster had his eyes on a second podium. The youngster made no bones when the flag dropped, and made his way up to third during the opening lap. Shortly after he attempted a pass for second place, but a coming together saw the TGRSA driver leave the track. He re-joined, but was classified in sixth place – hardly the result he had hoped for.

At the same time, Mdakane found himself embroiled in a battle for the podium. The Johannesburg-based driver initially lost a position into the opening corner, but fought back to bring his Toyota Corolla home in third place. Van Rooyen, who had struggled for pace throughout the weekend due to setup issues, managed to make the most of his starting position. He finished in first place after ten laps, making it two podium positions for TGRSA in the final race.

Next up for the GTC championship is Round 6, which is scheduled for 17 September at the Killarney International Raceway. The team had a tumultuous weekend there at the start of the season, but will be hoping for better luck this time around, as Variawa is still in touch with the championship, with two rounds to go. The season will draw to a close at the Zwartkops Raceway in October, 2022.