After a mid-season revision to the National Extreme Festival calendar, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing South Africa (TGRSA) returns to the Aldo Scribante Circuit near Gqeberha next weekend (15 August) for Round 5 of both the GR Cup and South African Touring Cars (SATC) championships.
Originally scheduled for the East London Grand Prix Circuit, the event will instead see the country’s leading circuit racers revisit the Eastern Cape venue where they last competed just six weeks ago. The unusual back-to-back visits present teams with a rare opportunity to build directly on the data and experience gathered during the previous outing, setting the stage for another closely contested weekend of racing.
As always, Friday will be dedicated to practice sessions before Qualifying and two races take centre stage on Saturday. The weather forecast points to mild, dry conditions on Friday, with a slight chance of light drizzle during Saturday’s programme.
The GR Cup Media Challenge once again headlines the action, with SuperSport’s Nabil Abdool looking to extend a flawless start to his title defence. Abdool has won all eight races contested so far this season and arrives in Gqeberha leading the standings on a maximum 56 points. News24 Motoring’s Craig Nicholson remains his closest challenger on 39 points, while eNCA’s Justin Ford has moved into third on 21 points. AutoTrader’s Tayedza Mbiri occupies fourth on 19 points, ahead of Kumbi Mtshakazi (Kumbi-M on Cars), who shares the entry with Brandon Jacobs (Khulekani on Wheels), on 14 points. The Witness and Algoa FM’s Naresh Maharaj completes the standings on seven points.
Abdool continued his dominant run at the previous round by claiming pole position, establishing a new GR Cup lap record around Aldo Scribante, and taking two more commanding victories. Nicholson maintained his remarkable consistency with another pair of runner-up finishes, while Jacobs enjoyed his strongest outing of the season by scoring back-to-back podium finishes in the shared entry with Mtshakazi.
The GR Cup Dealer Challenge continues to deliver some of the closest racing in the championship. NMI Toyota Menlyn’s Werner Venter leads the standings on 34 points, although both Devon Scott and Paul de Vos, representing the GR Driving Academy, remain firmly in contention on 28 points apiece.
NMI Toyota Centurion’s Theo Brits and Rola Toyota’s Marius Claassen are tied on 22 points, while Malalane Toyota’s Werner Horn is sixth on 16 points. Rola Toyota’s Andries de Villiers has continued his upward trajectory following his maiden podium finish and occupies seventh on 13 points.
The GR86 Development Academy title fight remains one of the highlights of the 2026 season. Connor Weston leads the standings on 47 points after edging Kobus Reyneke in a dramatic Race 2 finish at the previous round, with Reyneke just four points adrift on 43. Emma Dowling continues to impress in third place on 28 points, while Kian Fussell has climbed to fourth on 22 points.
Reagile “Spice” Mailula occupies fifth on 16 points, with Vatiswa Mokhonoana and Tshepang Shisinwana tied on nine points. Russell Davidson and Miklos Hegyi have also opened their accounts as the Academy continues to showcase the strength of TGRSA’s driver development programme.
The SATC championship also returns to Aldo Scribante with renewed confidence for the TGRSA squad after a breakthrough performance at the previous round. Jason Coetzee claimed victory in Race 2, while reigning champion Michael van Rooyen secured second place to complete the team’s first one-two finish of the 2026 season.
That result has moved both Toyota drivers firmly into championship contention. Julian van der Watt continues to lead the standings on 99 points, followed by KC Ensor-Smith on 82, while Coetzee and Van Rooyen are tied on 73 points after four rounds. The team will be looking to build on the significant progress made with the GR Corolla package as the championship enters the second half of the season.
With every championship still offering plenty to race for, another competitive weekend awaits as TOYOTA GAZOO Racing South Africa looks to continue its strong form across the GR Cup and SATC championships at Aldo Scribante.
