Some days you’re the bug, some days you’re the windscreen.
After a string of podiums in previous races the Toyota GR Cup round at Killarney this past weekend produced two nondescript finishes for me: fourth in race one and fifth in race two. The racing was entertaining and I was involved in some memorable scraps, but results-wise it was a day to file under: “Tried hard, could do much better”.
Killarney is a bogey track for me and I’ve never got to grips with it. On the scenic Cape Town circuit I struggled to find the balance of brute force and finesse required to find a quick lap in my TimesLIVE GR86 car, and started on the back foot by qualifying fourth.
At the start of heat one I briefly battled with Autotrader’s Chad Luckhoff for third as we went side by side through the first few corners. That was fun while it lasted, but he got the inside line onto the back straight and cleared off. I fell back into the clutches of Toyota CEO Andrew Kirby, who made a one-off guest drive in the one-make series contested by near-standard Toyota GR 86 coupes.
He in turn was being hounded by another Toyota man, Riaan Esterhuysen, closely followed by Mark Jones from the Citizen. It developed into a close four-way fight for several laps, and while my lap times were nothing to shout about, I managed to stay ahead to take fourth place behind race winner Setshaba Mashigo (ASAMM), Brendon Staniforth (Maroela Media) and Luckhoff. Esterhuysen, Kirby and Jones crossed the line behind me in fifth, sixth and seventh.
It was the first time I’d finished off the podium the whole season, and it was humbling. I was determined to make a better go of it in race two, but had my work cut out starting from fifth place, right behind Kirby. The starting grid for the second heat is determined by our fastest lap times in the first heat, and I’d had a scrappy race.
At the start of race two I got onto the Kirby’s tail and hounded him trying to find a way past, but the Toyota CEO was having none of it. He was getting the hang of driving his rear-wheel-drive Toyota GR 86 and defended robustly. On my part it was a balancing act between being aggressive but not too forceful — bumping into the boss would not go down well at Toyota, who provide the cars to motoring journalists by invitation — but eventually on lap three I got past cleanly, without any dented metal. It was an entertaining tussle but it had allowed Esterhuysen to open a gap up ahead.
I set off after him and closed in a little on certain sections, only for him to show superior pace in other parts of the circuit. He held his gap and I had to settle for fifth this time, my worst finish of the season. Mashigo again won the race, followed by Luckhoff and Staniforth.
Mashigo has built an unassailable series lead with one round to go, and is a deserving champion. Having honed his race craft in sim racing, the 26-year old has adapted to real-world racing impressively and has been consistently fast the whole year.
Motor racing hits you with highs and lows, and at Killarney I was definitely the bug, not the windscreen. There were no complaints with the car; I just wasn’t fast enough. Sometimes it’s just not your day. You have to eat humble pie and regroup.
On the plus side, I overtook Jones for second in the championship as the Citizen man had an even worse Killarney outing than me. The fight for best-of-the-rest status is close, with four of us — myself, Jones, Staniforth and Luckhoff, separated by a handful of points, and it will all come down to the wire in what is bound to be a thrilling season finale at Zwartkops next month.
I hope to be the windscreen that time.
BLOG: Tales from the racing seat #6
The day I was the bug, not the windscreen
Denis Droppa reports from the racing seat of the Toyota GR Cup at Killarney
Image: Supplied
Some days you’re the bug, some days you’re the windscreen.
After a string of podiums in previous races the Toyota GR Cup round at Killarney this past weekend produced two nondescript finishes for me: fourth in race one and fifth in race two. The racing was entertaining and I was involved in some memorable scraps, but results-wise it was a day to file under: “Tried hard, could do much better”.
Killarney is a bogey track for me and I’ve never got to grips with it. On the scenic Cape Town circuit I struggled to find the balance of brute force and finesse required to find a quick lap in my TimesLIVE GR86 car, and started on the back foot by qualifying fourth.
At the start of heat one I briefly battled with Autotrader’s Chad Luckhoff for third as we went side by side through the first few corners. That was fun while it lasted, but he got the inside line onto the back straight and cleared off. I fell back into the clutches of Toyota CEO Andrew Kirby, who made a one-off guest drive in the one-make series contested by near-standard Toyota GR 86 coupes.
He in turn was being hounded by another Toyota man, Riaan Esterhuysen, closely followed by Mark Jones from the Citizen. It developed into a close four-way fight for several laps, and while my lap times were nothing to shout about, I managed to stay ahead to take fourth place behind race winner Setshaba Mashigo (ASAMM), Brendon Staniforth (Maroela Media) and Luckhoff. Esterhuysen, Kirby and Jones crossed the line behind me in fifth, sixth and seventh.
It was the first time I’d finished off the podium the whole season, and it was humbling. I was determined to make a better go of it in race two, but had my work cut out starting from fifth place, right behind Kirby. The starting grid for the second heat is determined by our fastest lap times in the first heat, and I’d had a scrappy race.
At the start of race two I got onto the Kirby’s tail and hounded him trying to find a way past, but the Toyota CEO was having none of it. He was getting the hang of driving his rear-wheel-drive Toyota GR 86 and defended robustly. On my part it was a balancing act between being aggressive but not too forceful — bumping into the boss would not go down well at Toyota, who provide the cars to motoring journalists by invitation — but eventually on lap three I got past cleanly, without any dented metal. It was an entertaining tussle but it had allowed Esterhuysen to open a gap up ahead.
I set off after him and closed in a little on certain sections, only for him to show superior pace in other parts of the circuit. He held his gap and I had to settle for fifth this time, my worst finish of the season. Mashigo again won the race, followed by Luckhoff and Staniforth.
Mashigo has built an unassailable series lead with one round to go, and is a deserving champion. Having honed his race craft in sim racing, the 26-year old has adapted to real-world racing impressively and has been consistently fast the whole year.
Motor racing hits you with highs and lows, and at Killarney I was definitely the bug, not the windscreen. There were no complaints with the car; I just wasn’t fast enough. Sometimes it’s just not your day. You have to eat humble pie and regroup.
On the plus side, I overtook Jones for second in the championship as the Citizen man had an even worse Killarney outing than me. The fight for best-of-the-rest status is close, with four of us — myself, Jones, Staniforth and Luckhoff, separated by a handful of points, and it will all come down to the wire in what is bound to be a thrilling season finale at Zwartkops next month.
I hope to be the windscreen that time.
Again a bridesmaid at South Africa’s fastest track
Mashigo rules Aldo Scribante as TimesLIVE finishes second
Zwartkops delivers the highs and lows of motor racing
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