Returning to Killarney: My GR Cup Challenge comeback

It’s been almost eight weeks, and I was not aware it was possible to miss getting strapped tightly into my GR Yaris as much as I do. 

It’s been what feels like forever since the purr of the 210kW and 400Nm 1.6-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine has reverberated in the pits and around a track in the GR Cup Challenge.

Our last outing was at the super fast East London Grand Prix Circuit in wet and slippery conditions, so much so that the two-race event was changed into a 12-lap single race. 

First time out

This weekend we return to Cape Town’s Killarney International Raceway, the venue for our debut race in March and the second last race of the seven round championship.

To say I was nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs is an understatement.

I had done plenty of car launch hot laps around various circuits around the world, but it was the first time out in a fully tricked-out race car unsupervised.

I found it hard to face the prospect of breakfast on race morning. 

We were then still in the previous generation six-speed manual GR Yaris, and after qualifying, the nerves had settled down, and once the first race started, nothing else mattered.

Despite the intense heat inside the car, race seat, the unfamiliar feel of a fire-proof suit, gloves, balaclava and helmet, I managed to complete the race weekend without damage to the car; rule number one in the GR Cup.

Much has changed

With five race weekends now under our belt, including the iconic Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit, things have improved considerably as those of us in the Media Challenge continue to hone our race craft.

I mean, now I even look at entry points, apex and exit points during everyday driving.

I’ve also sought assistance from multiple race champion Lorenzo Gualtieri of Comprehensive Driving Solutions, who analyses my Garmin Delta footage and provides feedback.

You have no idea how important 0.2 seconds can be until you get into a race car.

I’ll be reviving the GR Cup Media Challenge with my racing and media colleagues Charl Bosch, Lawrence Minnie, Phuti Mpyane, Kyle Kock and Nabil Abdool. 

At this stage, Abdool is unstoppable, with further podium places tightly contested between Kock and Mpyane, and the rest of us chasing them down.  

We will again be joined by the Dealers in their GR Corollas and GR Academy youngsters in the GR 86 that will make up the biggest starting grid of the weekend.

This time, turn five will only be a gentle lift before heading into the back straight, and I’m confident that the hairpin at turn six into the main straight will be kinder to me than the previous outing, where it spat me out unceremoniously, costing me a place.

Make no mistake, there’s still nervous apprehension, and that’s a good thing.