Ever since the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing GR Cup made its debut at the Killarney International Circuit in Cape Town at the beginning of the 2022 season, there have been thrilling races. On August 5th and 6th, 2022, Toyota’s GR Cup was held at the treacherous East London Grand Prix Circuit in the Eastern Cape. Thomas Falkiner won the highly competitive formula by collecting all possible points. Despite appearing to be outpaced in both races, Ashley Oldfield’s experiences undoubtedly were able to help him preserve a significant portion of his championship lead.
The seasoned Oldfield, who clinched the pole position on Saturday morning by 0.8 seconds, continues to keep few of his fellow automotive journalists trailed. The GR Cup champion appeared to be in absolute command and prepared to add two more victories to his rising total. However, that wasn’t how things turned out because Oldfield’s car appeared to be missing a few kilowatts.
“In qualifying, everything felt Perfectly all right,”
remarked Oldfield following the weekend.
“However, I realized there was a problem as soon as Race 1 got underway. I therefore tried to gain ground in the braking zones while doing my best to keep my track position. Although my final placings in Races 1 and 2 were fourth and third, respectively, they were still better than I had anticipated.”
Riaan Esterhuysen, a substitute driver, presented a pleasant surprise during qualifying. The last-minute replacement for Jeanette Kok-Kritzinger of Wiele2Wiele, who was unable to compete, was the Toyota Motors SA Product Communication Manager. With the second-fastest qualifying time, Esterhuysen demonstrated that he is no lightweight. In third place, Falkiner trailed Esterhuysen by 0.07 seconds. The circuit was finished by Lerato Matebese, Mark Jones, and Sean Nurse.
Falkiner persisted to clinch both races after Oldfield was forced to drop out of position. Although he managed to do so early in the first lap and held onto the lead until the chequered flag, six laps later, Esterhuysen still had to be overtaken. It wasn’t an easy task. In second place behind him, Nurse out-reeled Esterhuysen, and the PR man took third. Jones and Matebese came in fifth and sixth, respectively, while Oldfield had to settle with fourth.
The GR Cup took to the track after the official sunset in Race 2, which started much later than expected. The difficult racing conditions led the organizers to limit the race to only four laps. Nurse passed Falkiner early in the first lap because the pole-sitter had trouble seeing his brake markings in the darkness. However, the Sunday Times writer came back and regained control, holding off all challengers to claim his second victory of the day. Oldfield finished third, followed by Nurse in second.
Six South African automotive reporters compete in the GR Cup, a one-make formula, in standard Toyota GR Yaris Road vehicles. The vehicles are in showroom condition aside from roll cages and other safety features. The Global Touring is followed in the series.
BY THABO MOHALE
