TOYOTA GAZOO Racing South Africa has successfully completed Round 2 of the 2023 Global Touring Cars (GTC) championship, which took place at the Killarney Race Circuit in Cape Town over the weekend. The Toyota Corolla-powered GTC team showed impressive performance and dedication throughout the weekend’s races, and the results speak for themselves.
Saood Variawa, who posted the fastest qualifying time, continued to impress during Race 1, holding his position to cross the finish line in first place, just over a second ahead of his competitors. Nathi Msimanga also showed remarkable skill and determination, finishing in third place. The second race, which had the cars start in reverse order, saw Variawa fight his way to second place, just 1.233sec behind the winner, while Msimanga secured his second third-place finish of the weekend. Michael van Rooyen, who had a difficult weekend, finished in fifth place.
Following his outstanding performances during the weekend, Variawa has extended his lead in the championship standings, and he is determined to maintain his momentum as the competition progresses. Variawa expressed his confidence in the team’s abilities, saying, “It was another solid weekend for us. I’m delighted to have extended my lead in the championship, and I’m confident that we have the right package to continue our strong performances in the next round.”
Msimanga also had an impressive weekend, securing two third-place finishes, proving once again that he is a valuable asset to the team. Van Rooyen, on the other hand, struggled with pace throughout the weekend after fitting the team’s spare engine following a pre-race problem.
The team is now looking forward to Round 3 of the championship, which will take place at the Zwartkops Raceway near Pretoria on 20 May 2023. Zwartkops is the team’s home circuit, and as such, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing South Africa is confident that they will continue to deliver impressive performances and secure their position at the top of the leader board during the next round of the championship.
