The Battle Continues: GR Cup Round 3 Goes Home
By Jack Dickson
TGRSA Ahead of Action-Packed Round 3 at Zwartkops
The 2026 national motorsport season heats up as TOYOTA GAZOO Racing South Africa (TGRSA) heads to Pretoria's Zwartkops Raceway for Round 3. This tight 2.4 km circuit is famous for action-packed racing, demanding absolute driver precision and rhythm through its technical infield section. Following Friday’s practice under cloudy skies, clear and crisp weather is expected for Saturday’s main race day.
Driven by a bold and aggressive approach on the track, Kumbi secured a well-deserved podium finish last time out. With his confidence soaring and his lap times dropping, he is quickly turning into a serious threat around the tight Pretoria layout. His comments on the upcoming race, "I am always stoked to race in Zwartkops. And heading there for the fourth time in my professional racing career, I believe I can yield better results than before."
Standings Shake-up and New Faces in the GR Cup
The weekend marks the exciting debut of the GR Cup "Hot Seat" initiative, welcoming sim racer and rookie rally driver Girlie Lukhele as a guest driver in the race-prepped GR Yaris AT.
In the competitive GR Cup Media Challenge standings, Nabil Abdool maintains a commanding lead with a flawless 28 points following a dominant start to his 2026 campaign. Craig Nicholson holds onto second place with 19 points, while Justin Ford and our Kumbi Mtshakazi, who shares his race seat with Brandon Jacobs, are currently deadlocked in third place with 12 points each. Tayedza Mbiri sits in fifth with eight points, followed by Naresh Maharaj who rounds out the current standings with 6 points. The GR Cup Dealer Challenge is also delivering plenty of excitement, with Devon Scott leading the charge on 28 points after taking victory in all four opening races. Werner Venter and Theo Brits are tied for the runner-up spot on 18 points, with Werner Horn holding fourth place on nine points. Meanwhile, the GR86 Development Academy sees Kobus Reyneke holding a narrow single-point advantage over Connor Weston, with Emma Dowling looming as a major threat in third place with 17 points.
Heavyweights Collide in the SATC Field
The premier South African Touring Cars (SATC) championship is shaping up to be a tactical showdown as the field heads to the Pretoria venue. Rookie driver Jason Coetzee has enjoyed a phenomenal start to his debut SATC campaign, currently occupying third position in the championship standings with 47 points, leaving him just five points away from the current log leader, Julian van der Watt. Multiple national champion Michael van Rooyen sits further back in fifth place with 32 points after enduring a highly frustrating opening couple of rounds. However, piloting the powerful GR Corolla, the experienced veteran will look to leverage his immense racecraft and local consistency at a technical circuit where strategic positioning and defensive lines often prove decisive. With early-season momentum at stake across all categories, TGRSA is fully focused on maximizing its points haul and continuing its strong form.
