Summarize

Global Touring Cars entertained Gqeberha on Saturday as Aldo Scribante’s racing faithful turned out en masse to be thrilled by brilliant racing. Toyota drivers Robert Wolk and Michael van Rooyen shared out the race wins, while twice second on the day, young gun Saood Variawa took the day overall.

The action started Saturday morning in qualifying where the pace was hectic and the gaps minimal, but it was reigning champion and 2022 log leader Wolk, who grabbed pole position in his Chemical Logistics Toyota Corolla GTC. He edged Bradley Liebenberg’s Hype Energy Drinks VW Golf GTC by all of a tenth of a second. Variawa’s Toyota Gazoo Racing Corolla GTC was just as close behind in third.

Volkswagen Motorsport Golf pilot Daniel Rowe ended up fourth ahead of Julian van der Watt’s Chemical Logistics Ford Focus and Mandla Mdakane’s Gazoo Corolla. Andrew Rackstraw’s RDSA Investchem Audi shared row four with Michael van Rooyen on the final Gazoo Corolla and Jonathan Mogotsi’s second Volkswagen Motorsport Golf in ninth.

Wolk made no mistakes in the opening encounter as the blue Corolla trotted to a lights-to-flag victory. He fended off an initial challenge from Liebenberg and Variawa with van der Watt and Rowe hovering in the background ready to pounce. Liebenberg looked set to make a move on Wolk, but a gearbox issue intervened as he was mugged by Variawa. 

All this allowed Wolk to consolidate his lead and, despite coming close on Lap 9, Liebenberg was just unable to make any impression on Variawa. There was a sting in the tail however as the frontrunners came up to lap the rear end of the GTC SupaCup field, including the SupaCup Masters lead dice. Wolk had to force his way around them, which allowed Variawa to close right up, but the Chemical Logistics car had the last say.

It was more dramatic for third as Liebenberg was forced wide by an unsighted SupaCup car, which allowed Rowe to purloin third on at the line. So Wolk took the win from Variawa with Rowe, Liebenberg, a solid Andrew Rackstraw and Michael van Rooyen as van der Watt hit trouble.

The inverted grid pole position paid off handsomely for wily Michael van Rooyen. He converted pole into a hard-earned race win aboard his Gazoo Corolla Toyota. He was destined to stay ahead, even with the intervention of the Safety Car on Lap 5 while Rui Campos liberated his SupaCup from the tyre wall.

Liebenberg again hounded van Rooyen for the entire race from there and then, but he hiccupped on the last lap to allow Variawa up to second for a Toyota 1-2 with Liebenberg third. Wolk then pulled a last corner move on Rowe for fourth. Mogotsi ended up sixth from Mdakane, van der Watt who dropped back after an ambitious move and Rackstraw who misfired home well down with a fuel pump issue.

So, 16-year-old Variawa took his second overall Global Touring Car win in two meetings to provisionally move up to second in the title chase behind second for the day, Wolk, Liebenberg, Rowe, van Rooyen, Mogotsi, Mdakane, Rackstraw and van der Watt. GTC travels to Red Star at Delmas next for the Extreme Festival races there on Saturday 12 July. Now that’s worth a day at the races!