After a promising first race, The Citizen’s rookie felt the might of how South Africa’s best known racetrack could bite.
Motorsport, as the saying goes, can be cruel mistress that brings you down to earth with one clean swipe.
This past weekend’s second round of the Toyota GR Cup at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit proved to be exactly to that as, after a strong showing in the first race, all for apart for The Citizen in race two.
Despite the results of the second GR Cup round, part of the National Extreme Festival, netting the same pair of fifth place finishes as the last round at Killarney, the outcome wasn’t the dignified goodbye the current crop of manual GR Yaris’ deserved.
While the next round at the Aldo Scribante race track in the Eastern Cape on 10 May will see the debut of the new Direct Automatic Transmission (DAT) equipped GR Yaris’, the country’s best known and fastest track won’t hold the best of memories for yours truly, who battled to get the circuit right throughout the weekend.
The struggle
In contrast to Killarney, a different skillset is needed to unlock Kyalami, talents championship leader Nabil Abdool (SuperSport), Kyle Kock (CAR Magazine) and Phuti Mpyane (TimesLive) demonstrated in that order in both races.
From practise one and two on Thursday, I knew I was facing an uphill battle. Kyalami doesn’t tolerate rookies and once you slip up, or think you have the measure of it, it punishes with a sadistic joy at your expense thrown in.
Breaking from over 200 km/h into the first corner at Crowthorne is a task that requires trust in your brakes and being smooth as booting it too early comprises your entry into the Jukskei and Barbeque corners.
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As much as I was improving, I was still getting it wrong by running wide over the shuddering sending razor curbs or dipping a few wheels onto the gravel.
Onto the old pit straight heading into Sunset and Clubhouse was another challenge. Lifting off instead of unsettling the rear with the brakes required a lot of skill – not easy when the rear wants to go and have a race of its own as you teeter on the apex.
On more than a few occasions, the Yaris oversteered, but fortunately, snapped back without spinning in front of the spectator banks – remember this.
The Kyalami esses is the most physical as you are hurled from left to right, your neck whipping from side to side up towards the highest point of the tack, Leeukop.
Hold your breath
From here, there is the freefall down the Mineshaft. As scary as it is, the real challenges is the left-hand kink into what is now known as The Crocodiles.
Tapping the brakes will see you loose speed and unsettle the car with the outcome of a massive KO by the outside wall. Lift off, you experience massive load on your body and the outside tyre, but be in the correct place to hit your markers at Crocodile. Not so here.
Even after three practise sessions, I still battled to get the latter right as oversteering, overdriving or being forced offline by another car hampered me throughout.
Up the hill towards the Cheetah sweep was another tricky corner to get right. While the GR Academy youngsters in the GR86 were curb hopping without touching the brakes, I battled – finding myself dabbing the brakes too often, and then spoiling my run into the Ingwe final corner.
While my rivals were finding their rhythm, I was doing anything but, with sloppy driving and too many moments.
Despite this, improvements in time were will being registered, yet by practise three, I still wasn’t confident.
Improvements halted
Come the final session, I started getting better with more consistent driving and finding my feet.
Unfortunately, all good things came to an end as, near the end of the session, I got badly held up, ruining my lap as well as those of a pair of GR86 behind. I was angry, seething in fact, and well aware that I had to be more aggressive during qualifying. This I did.
Heading out first, I managed to settle into a rhythm and despite getting passed by a few of the GR86s and dealer driven GR Corollas, I tucked myself behind Minnie, but not so much as to have my lap dented.
The result? An almost two second improvement on my best practise time, a fifth place starting grid amongst the Yaris, and ahead of two Corollas as well as my old rival, Willem van de Putte (IOL/Independent).
Race 1: Feeling like a hero
Come race day, the nerves were high, but nowhere the level of Killarney. Settled in to what would be the penultimate race for no. 16, the target was simple; fend off the Corollas and Willem, and stick to, and hopefully pass, Lawerance.
As with Killarney, it was a rolling start, but this time, with no yellow flags into Crowthorne.
Starting on the outside of Lawrence, I had to go on the attack the moment the lights went out.
With the loud pedals to the floor, I got off okay and heading into Crowthorne, I held a middle of the road line, but not so much as to have the wandering Corollas or Willem overtake me.
However, I hadn’t manage to get ahead of the AutoTrader Yaris in front.
As the race unfolded, with Abdool, Kock and Mpyane mixing it with the faster Corollas and GR86s far in front, I settled down to a race long battle with Minnie, trying every which way to outfox him, but failing.
Towards the latter stage of the eight laps, near disaster as approaching the esses, a wayward GR86 had gotten out of shape and bounced across the gravel.
Taking avoiding action not to clobber Minnie as the GR86 took apparent aim at him, I sensed my chance, but to no avail as the crafty AutoTrader man had me blocked going into the Leeukop.
A hip-and-shoulder at Ingwe had me sensing my chance. While the GR86 had fallen behind me, I knew it wasn’t going to last and as such, I tried for the inside of Minnie going into Jukskei.
Oversteering though saw me hit the curbs and the gravel, allowing him to get away marginally and the GR86 to get closer.
Out of the esses and into Leeukop, the battle was decided when the GR86 dived for my inside, escorting me off of the track and ending the battle.
An annoying end to an otherwise fantastic battle had me coming out of it smiling.
Race 2: Ending like a zero
Starting in the same position for race two, my target was once again a fourth place finish. However, things went array right from the start.
Setting off, I was a little slower than one of the Corollas behind me and, as we headed into Crowthorne, I got a case of what could only be described as brain fade.
Giving the Corolla just enough space, I become flustered and instead of accelerating, I completely lifted off the accelerator as if I got spooked.
This allowed both him and Willem to get passed, a scenario I couldn’t afford as all through qualifying, I knew I had the measure of the IOL man.
As any racing driver would, he fended me off at every corner. Having got a slightly better exit of Crocodile, we went into Cheetah almost side-by-side.
Realising that I was going to hit the curb and possibly bounce into him, I braked, but it was too late.
Taking the racing line as he was entitled to, the no. 60 impacted the front of no. 16. Fortunately, we both continued, but unsettled and not knowing the extent of the damage.
Knowing I had to get pass, I pulled the move off and proceeded to pull away in the hope of still catching, or getting close to, Lawerance.
However, the cherry on top of a less than pleasant cake received its topping going into the esses.
As I entered, the back swung out and began to slide. Thinking the Yaris would simply whip back into line, the pendulum swung the other way and saw me careening across the grass on the outside.
As I got back onto the track, I noticed Willem had disappeared. Only after the race did I discover that he took avoiding action by getting onto the marbles and nearly impacting the tyre wall.
The remainder of the race ticked by and after crossing the line, I had some explaining to do.
While the damage turned out to be cosmetic in form of a mashed bumper and tyre marks for Willem’s car, I wasn’t proud and was quick to apologise for an incident that could have ended both our races and ended with a roasting by Toyota GR boss, Alan Beyer, afterwards.
As much as the result and goodbye to no. 16 wasn’t the send-off I wanted, it had been another incredible weekend and indication to myself that getting a tougher and trusting the car would lead to a better performance.
Going home next
This will be of great importance as the next round at Scribante would not only be clean sheet for us all in the new GR Yaris DAT, but personal as I will be on home ground and keen to give it my best in front of the local crowd.
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