A long-held dream to race at South Africa’s most prestigious track came true for Driven editor Bernie Hellberg Jr in April, as round two of the popular GR Cup series headed to Kyalami International Grand Prix Circuit as part of the national Extreme Festival. But the race, and the weekend, was not without its upsets…
Powered by Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa, Driven again competed in our branded GR Corolla against five other leading motoring platforms, including Autotrader (Sean Nurse), La’t Wiel (Hannes Visser), Car (Alex Shahini), The Citizen (Jaco van der Merwe), and Kumbi M on Cars (Kumbi Mtshakazi). We were joined on track by a formidable team of GR 86 drivers who participate in the GR 86 Development Academy, where former GR Cup winner Setshaba Mashigo now competes. To flesh out the series even further, a host of dealer-entered GR Yaris filled the bill at South Africa’s most illustrious racing circuit by boosting the number of cars on track during practice, qualifying, and both races to 17.
SOME YOU WIN…
With nearly 300 competitors featured at the weekend’s Extreme Festival – incorporating national and regional series – practice was cut from three to two sessions, allowing significantly less time to acquaint myself with conditions at Kyalami. Although a fourth-place finish during the season opener at Killarney in Cape Town saw me racking up six championship points, Kyalami’s 4.52 km track provided a new set of challenges for all the drivers.
And challenges there were aplenty.
Barely three laps into the first practice session on Thursday, Mtshakazi’s GR Corolla experienced clutch issues that, to my chagrin, brought out the red flags that ended practice early.
Fitted with a new clutch overnight, Mtshakazi managed the fifth-best lap time during the second practice round on Friday, with my GR Corolla experiencing alignment trouble that, despite the experienced Toyota technical team’s best efforts, hounded me for the rest of the weekend, and contributed to the Driven car being relegated to sixth place on the starting grid after qualifying. Van der Merwe, Mtshakazi, Visser, and Nurse took the rest of the field as Shahini powered into pole position for Race 1.
TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS
With the established order from Killarney well and truly upset, and with a pack of hungry GR Yaris’ sharing our starting grid, the scene was set for an epic showdown that delivered triumph and tragedy in equal measure.
At the front, the GR Corollas of Shahini, Nurse, and Visser, and the GR Yaris’ of Paul de Vos and Mario de Sousa were vying for the top spots in their respective classes, while Van der Merwe and Mtshakazi battled it out for fourth and fifth, respectively. I had my own epic struggle on hand, with the GR Yaris of Johan Snyman nipping at my heels for the entire race.
A few laps into Race 1, the infamous Crowthorne corner claimed its first scalp as Visser’s Toyota made a dramatic exit into and over the barrier after experiencing braking issues. Although he was awarded third place for his efforts, Visser’s GR Corolla was well and truly out for Race 2, clearing the way for Van der Merwe, Mtshakazi, or myself to add a few extra championship points.
Race 2 was no less eventful, as Shahini – who started the session on pole – succumbed to a similar fate at Crowthorne. While his exit did not bring out the red flags as before, I struggled with more alignment problems after meeting the curb and rumble strips on my fifth lap exit out of Barbeque. Although I had made two near-successful attempts at retaking fourth from Mtshakazi up to that point, Visser and Shahini’s exits on the day weighed on my mind, and a significant shudder on my GR Corolla exacted a further mental toll, forcing me to abandon any further attempts at a better finish position. Lesson two of the season had been learnt: before conquering the track, you must first defeat your own fears.
LAST WORD
As the GR Cup Challenge heads to Toyota’s home track of Zwartkops on 17 and 18 May 2024, GR Corolla Class standings have Nurse leading the pack with a significant 28 points, with Shahini (15) and Visser (14) virtually neck-and-neck for second and third. Only two points separate Van der Merwe (11), myself (10), and Mtshakazi (9) at the back of the field.
EXTREME FESTIVAL DATES 2024
- 17-18 May 2024
Zwartkops Raceway
Pretoria - 28-29 June 2024
Aldo Scribante Race Circuit
Gqeberha - 26-27 JULY 2024
East London Grand Prix Circuit
East London - 20-21 September 2024
Killarney International Circuit
Cape Town
- 25-26 October 2024
Zwartkops Raceway
Pretoria
Report by BERNIE HELLBERG JR | Images © TOYOTA GAZOO RACING SA
