Summarize

Toyota Gazoo Race Week 40 celebrates 2021’s first motorsport champions being crowned on a superb weekend for tin-top racing Toyota around the world. Toyotas won in NASCAR, South African Global and British Touring Cars. Andrew Rackstraw, Bradley Cox and Luke Walker are among South Africa’s first racing champions of the season, while Colton Herta, Dennis Hauger and the Italian motocross team secured international titles around the world.

It was a very good tin-top weekend for Toyota in tin top racing around the world. Michael van Rooyen won an easy first Red Star GTC race in his Gazoo Toyota Corolla from Wolk’s similar Chemical Logistics machine, with his teammates van der Watt’s Focus and Scott Temple’s Chemical Logistics Corolla next in Delmas. Wolk then led a Chemical Logistics 1-2-3 over Temple and van der Watt’s Ford to leave Delmas with a four-point greater championship lead. 

There was more Toyota success in the US and in the UK as Denny Hamlin’s Camry took the Las Vegas NASCAR win from Chase Elliott’s Chevrolet and Kyle Busch in another Toyota. And Rory Butcher’s Gazoo Corolla made it two wins out of two in a gripping second British Touring Car Championship race at Silverstone, before Jake Hill won the final in his Ford Focus.

Getting back to local action, Jeffrey Kruger won the opening Red Star SupaCup race from Bradley Liebenberg and Jonathan Mogotsi as Keegan Campos took race 2 from Mogotsi and Liebenberg. Andrew Rackstraw dominated the Investchem Formula 1600 races to clinch the 2021 chamopionship with his 11th win in 12 races. Also in Delmas, a dominant Leyton Fourie tightened his Polo Cup title grip, Mackie Adlem won the V8 Supercars and Graeme van Breda, Kawasaki ZX Masters.

Moving on to two wheels, Bradley Cox wrapped up the 2021 SA overall and E1 Hard Enduro championship for KTM with fourth overall at Creighton near Ixopo KZN on Saturday. Brett Swanepoel won the day overall for Husqvarna from new E2 champion Luke Walker's Yamaha, E2 winner on the day, Heinrich Aust's Husqvarna, Cox, Chayse Orsmond's KTM and Robert Garvie.

The Western Cape Rotax Max karters arrived at Killarney to find a renegade group of drifters and spinners had blockaded the circuit. Once racing commenced, Joseph Oelz took a triple DD2 win. Conor Hughes sped to a triple Masters win and Reza Levy beat Valentino Hoffman two Junior races to one. Jordon Wadeley, Joshua Smit and Joaquin de Oliveira shared Mini Max wins as Joaquin won, Keagan Beaumont dominated Micro Max and Michael Danks Bambino.

Further north, Martin van Jaarsveld Senior and Junior won the Waterval Inland Off Road round aboard their BAT Spec 4 from Gideon Jacons’ Polaris and Tony and Marc Gouveia’s BAT and top Production finishers Theuns du Toit and James O’Mahoney’s Land Cruiser.

Internationally, Lewis Hamilton took his 100th win in an epic Russian Grand Prix after his Mercedes team insisted on him pitting from second for wet rubber when rain hit late in the race. Max Verstappen stormed from the back on an engine penalty, to end second for Red Bull and retain a slim title advantage, with Carlos Sainz third for Ferrari. It was heartbreak for seventh placedd Lando Norris though. He lead most of the race for McLaren but stayed out too long on slicks.

Also at Sochi, Oscar Piastri tightened his grip on the ’21 Formula 2 title with a Feature race win after Dan Tictum won the sprint on a rain affected weekend. And Dennis Hauger clinched the 2021 Formula 3 title after finishing second in the first sprint race at the Sochi behind Logan Sargeant. Jack Doohan won race 2. Across the pond, fourth sealed the Indycar title for Alex Palou behind Colton Herta, who stormed from 14th to beat Josef Newgarden and Scott Dixon at Long Beach. 

On two wheels, South African Steven Odendaal ended 8th to keep a firm hand on second in the World Supersport 600 title as championship leader Dominique Aegeter’s similar Yamaha won in a sad weekend at Jerez. The first race was canned following 300 rider Dean Vinales' fatal accident. Toprak Razgatlioglu did the World Supersport double for Yamaha over Jonathan Rea’s Kawasaki and after fierce battle with Scott Redding in race 2.

Staying on two wheels, Camden McLellan starred on his Husqvarna as he and KTM duo Tristan Purdon and David Goosen flew the South African flag high as the home team won the weekend’s Motocross des Nations in Mantova, Italy from the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.