Round 6 of the 2022 Global Touring Car (GTC) Championship noticed TOYOTA GAZOO Racing SA (TGRSA) tackle a tricky subject of rivals, with the manufacturing facility staff recording solid results over the course of the weekend. Youngster Saood Variawa was once more the decide of the bunch for the three-car Toyota Corolla squad, recording not solely the second-fastest time in qualifying, but additionally his first general race victory within the sequence, making him – at 17 years of age – the youngest ever GTC winner.
Killarney International Raceway, the place the penultimate GTC spherical of the season came about, has historically been a tricky searching floor for the TGRSA squad. At the opening spherical of the season, the three-car staff failed to attain important factors, however the weekend of 17 September noticed them change that luck, with Variawa’s win the cherry on prime of an thrilling and fruitful weekend.
“Things didn’t quite go to plan during qualifying, as I only recorded my best lap after the tyres had started going off. They are usually best during the first three or four laps, but I couldn’t quite capitalise on the fresh rubber, and had to settle for the second-fastest qualifying time in the end,” stated Variawa.
Even so, Variawa drove a gradual race to complete in second place, simply 0.1sec behind race winner, privateer Robert Wolk (Toyota Corolla). Race two introduced a reverse grid, which noticed Variawa begin in fifth place. But the teenager shortly moved to the pinnacle of the sector, solely to be foiled by an on-track incident that triggered a crimson flag.
“At the restart I pulled away in third place, but I managed to get back to the front quickly. I pulled a gap over Robbie (Wolk) and held on for the win that I’ve been hunting for so long,” stated an ecstatic Variawa after the race.
TGRSA stalwart, Michael van Rooyen, certified his GTC Toyota Corolla simply 0.3sec behind Variawa to take third place on the grid. Race 1 noticed the Rustenburg Rocket retain his beginning place to complete on the rostrum; whereas Race 2 didn’t fairly go to plan – Van Rooyen ceded observe place to teammate Mandla Mdakane underneath duress, ending in 5th place ultimately.
As for Mdakane, the Johannesburg-based driver felt that he missed out on seat-time for the reason that earlier spherical in East London, however frequently constructed on his tempo over the course of the weekend. Qualifying noticed Mdakane in sixth, with Race 1 a little bit of a procession – he completed in sixth place. Next up was Race 2 and its reverse grid, which noticed Mdakane begin on the head of the sector. The on-track incident that triggered the crimson flag noticed Mdakane drop to 3rd general by the tip, bagging his second podium in as many race weekends, and including beneficial factors to his tally.
The remaining spherical of the 2023 GTC season is scheduled for October on the Zwartkops Raceway. This is a house race for TGRSA, and the squad has historically recorded good results on the circuit close to Pretoria. Young Variawa continues to be, theoretically, in contact with the title, and will definitely be pushing for good results on the remaining spherical.
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Posted by Toyota South Africa on Motorpress
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