TOYOTA GAZOO Racing South Africa is at Killarney International Raceway this weekend for the penultimate round of the 2026 GR Cup and South African Touring Cars championships.
The tight and technical Cape Town circuit has a reputation for producing close racing, and with both championships still open, Saturday's two races should be no different. Friday practice is likely to run in the cool, foggy conditions typical of the city at this time of year, but no rain is forecast, so qualifying and racing should take place in stable if chilly weather.
One of the talking points this weekend is the second appearance of the GR Cup Hot Seat, which puts a well-known media figure behind the wheel of a GR Yaris AT. Broadcaster Kriya Gangiah takes the seat at Killarney, following Yolanda Lukhele's debut at Zwartkops in May, where she finished third twice in her first competitive outing.
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Gangiah, who talks about motorsport on air, said the experience will be different to discussing it from the outside. "I always get the opportunity to talk about racing and understand the theory behind it," she said. "Now I finally get to put that theory into practice. I've driven road cars on various circuits before, but never Killarney, so this is going to be a completely new experience for me."
Her goal for the weekend is straightforward. She joked that her first target is to "keep it on the black stuff". The final Hot Seat drive of the season goes to sports broadcaster Mpho Maboi at Zwartkops in October.
In the GR Cup Media Challenge, SuperSport's Nabil Abdool arrives with a perfect record after winning all ten races so far this season, leading the standings on 70 points. News24 Motoring's Craig Nicholson is second on 48, with eNCA's Justin Ford and AutoTrader's Tayedza Mbiri tied on 25 points each. Brandon Jacobs is fifth on 17, sharing an entry with Kumbi Mtshakazi, who is sixth on 14. Their combined total of 31 points would place the shared car third overall, ahead of both Ford and Mbiri, which shows how competitive the pairing has been. Naresh Maharaj of The Witness and Algoa FM is on nine points.
At Aldo Scribante, Abdool took another pole position and race double, while Nicholson's podium finishes kept him in second. Jacobs had his best weekend of the season with back-to-back podiums, moving the shared entry further up the order.
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The GR Cup Dealer Challenge has a smaller grid at Killarney after international commitments ruled out several regular drivers. GR Driving Academy's Devon Scott, who trails standings leader Werner Venter by two points, is among those missing the round, along with his shared entry with Paul de Vos. Venter, on 44 points, has a chance to extend his lead while his closest rival is away. Six cars will start, with Venter joined by Theo Brits, Tiaan Combrink, Theo Claasen standing in for his brother Marius, Mario de Sousa stepping in for Andries de Villiers, and Stefan Bester in the #555 CFAO Mobility Toyota.
The GR86 Development Academy title fight is close, with Kobus Reyneke leading Connor Weston by three points, 52 to 49, after the two made contact twice at Turn 6 in Race 2 at Aldo Scribante. Emma Dowling is third on 33, Kian Fussel fourth on 29, Reagile Mailula fifth on 24, Tshepang Shisinwana sixth on 17, and Vatiswa Mokhonoana seventh on 10. Russell Davidson and Miklos Hegyi have one point each. With only Killarney and the Zwartkops finale left, the title looks likely to go down to the wire between Reyneke and Weston.
In SATC, TGRSA arrives in good form after Aldo Scribante, where Jason Coetzee fought from fifth on the grid to win Race 2 and Michael van Rooyen finished fourth in both races. Julian van der Watt leads the championship on 125 points, with Klayden Ensor-Smith second on 101. Coetzee is third on 93, eight points behind Ensor-Smith, and Van Rooyen is fourth on 91, just two points behind his team-mate. Keegan Campos is fifth on 85, ahead of Andrew Schofield on 69 and Robert Wolk on 68. Coetzee's view that the fight for second is still alive looks accurate, with both TGRSA drivers inside the top four and within reach of the runner-up spot as the GR Corolla continues to find form at Killarney.
With Killarney hosting the penultimate round and Gangiah making her Hot Seat debut, TGRSA heads to Cape Town for an important weekend across both championships.
Colin Windell for Colin-on-Cars in association with
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