TimesLIVE pumped for penultimate Toyota GR Cup race at Killarney

It's crazy to believe that I and the five other motoring journalists chosen to represent our titles in the 2022 Toyota GR Cup are gearing up for our second last race of the season.

This weekend we will meet at Cape Town's Killarney International Raceway; the place where this single-make series kicked off in March this year. So far it's been a wild and immensely enjoyable ride: one that's seen us scribes prove how capable the GR Yaris is when driven in anger around some of the country's most demanding race tracks. 

Our last outing in East London proved a successful hunting ground for me as I managed to steer the TimesLIVE GR Yaris to double victories around the city's historic high-speed circuit. This feat cemented my second place standings in the overall championship and puts me nine points behind championship leader Ashley Oldfield from cars.co.za.

Local boy Oldfield, of course knows the 3.267km circuit better than anybody and will be a tough man to beat when the lights go out on Saturday. However, I'm confident I'll be running a bit closer to his pace this time as I am much more used to the GR Yaris' all-wheel drive handling characteristics and, indeed, the track itself. March was only the second time I had ever raced at Killarney, so it was all rather new to me. This time I have a better idea of what to expect and where I can improve my lap times.

Having said that, I will need to keep an extremely close eye on Sean Nurse (SN Automotive) and Mark Jones (The Citizen); two GR Cup drivers who have got quicker and quicker as the season has progressed. There wasn't much between Jones and I the last time we battled at Killarney and I expect the margin to be even slimmer this time. 

Adding extra spice to the weekend's proceedings is the weather that (well, the last time I checked) is threatening to unleash a generous amount of rain on Saturday. This will create a whole new dynamic and make things, um, a little more interesting behind the wheel. 

Again forming part of the prestigious National Extreme Festival, the Toyota GR Cup will be running alongside some of the country's other flagship circuit racing series such as the popular Global Touring Cars (where Toyota Gazoo Racing SA is fielding no less than three purpose-built Corolla challengers), SupaCup and G&H Transport Extreme SuperCars. 

Watch this space (or follow me on Instagram) for updates as and when they happen.

TimesLIVE

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