JOHANNESBURG - The 2020 Global Touring Car (GTC) season is finally firing up, with a three-heat race at the Red Star Raceway, near Delmas in Gauteng this weekend. This is the same venue where the championship ended last season, and also the location of Toyota Gazoo Racing SA’s Michael van Rooyen’s first GTC victory.
“Red Star hosted an amazing race weekend at the end of last year,” says Van Rooyen. “I was in contention for the title, but it slipped away at the last moment, despite bagging my first race win in the GTC Toyota Corolla.”
During the ensuing months, Van Rooyen has prepared an all-new version of the GTC Corolla, which now sports the latest body shape, as well as plenty of refinements under the skin. The new car was put through its paces during numerous test sessions, and also took part in an endurance race in Port Elizabeth, in preparation for its GTC debut.
“We’re looking forward to measuring our performance against the competition this weekend,” says Van Rooyen. “There are a number of new cars in the field, and it is always exciting to see how everyone measures up. We are confident that our new car will be competitive from the start.”
As with many sporting leagues, the 2020 Global Touring Car champs was put on hold as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak and subsequent lockdown of South Africa. This weekend’s race meeting will see the GTC machines take on three heats on Saturday, and even though no spectators are allowed due to government restrictions, the action promises to be hot.
To add to the excitement, Toyota Gazoo Racing SA’s Mandla Mdakane will also make his debut for the team, fielding another Toyota Corolla GTC. The highly experienced Mdakane will be looking to make a positive impression during his first outing with the team.
“Of course, nobody knew that it would be the end of September before we could go racing again,” says Mdakane. “But now the time has come, and I cannot wait to strap into the Corolla for my first race with the team.”
This weekend’s race meeting will start with a number of practice sessions on Friday, September 25th. Qualifying for the first race will take place on Saturday morning, with three race heats following during the day.
As mentioned, fans are not permitted to attend the race meeting at Red Star Raceway facility due to restrictions imposed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
You can follow the Toyota Gazoo Racing SA team on social media.
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