ADRIAN WOOD READIES FOR SECOND GTC2 SEASON FOR KYOCERA
Adrian Wood will be back behind the wheels of his KYOCERA Document Solutions South Africa Volkswagen Golf for the 2019 Global Touring CarsGTC2 season. This was announced by Volkswagen Motorsport_za during their pre-season team launch held at Zwartkops Raceway on Friday, February 2.
2018 was a steep learning curve for Wood, but one in which he excelled to end his debut season with a race win during the final round. The season ahead will see him capitalising on his solid form to emerge as a contender for the championship. There is no question about his team’s standing in the pecking order with three out of three championships already going their way. As with 2018, he will again be sporting the Kyocera Document Solutions livery.
“We’re looking forward to an exciting season at the front of the field in 2019” says an eager Wood. “There is no doubt that I’m part of the right team to contest for championship honours. We have laid a solid foundation during 2018 to build on and I’m looking forward to the start of the season. I would also like to thank my partners Kyocera for their continued support. GTC provides a solid media and engagement platform which we will no doubt capitalize on.”
The 2019 season will see two new circuits added to the calendar as well: The first of this will be Dezzi Raceway in Port Shepstone which will host the opening round of the season. Red Star Raceway in Delmas will see the season finale taking place around the clockwise configuration. Unlike most of the drivers in the field, Wood will participate in these rounds with prior circuit experience gained in other categories. The GTC championship will also be the only national category to have an event hosted at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit during the season. This will again form part of the Festival of Motoring.
Wood’s full calendar for 2019 will look as follow:
Round 1: March 1-2 – Dezzi Raceway, Port Shepstone
Round 2: April 5-6 – Zwartkops Raceway, Pretoria
Round 3: May 10-11 – Killarney International Raceway, Cape Town
Round 4: June 14-15 – Aldo Scribante Racetrack, Port Elizabeth
Round 5: July 26-27 – Zwartkops Raceway, Pretoria
Round 6: August 23-25 – Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit, Midrand
Round 7: September 27-28 – Killarney International Raceway, Cape Town
Round 8: October 25-26 – Red Star Raceway, Delmas
For all updates of Wood’s season and for more updates regarding his partners, fans are welcome to follow his official Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/AdrianWoodRacing.
VOLKSWAGEN CONTINUES TO INVEST IN THE FUTURE OF MOTORSPORT
• Volkswagen establishes specialized Motorsport Academy to invest in the future of motorsport.
• Racing legend Michael Stephen joins Volkswagen to head up the Academy.
Volkswagen Motorsport is starting 2019 with a bang. Besides announcing the line-up of factory drivers that will represent the motoring giant in the various racing categories as well as the good news that South Arica’s longest running and most successful series will have a new title sponsor in 2019, Volkswagen is also proud to announce the establishment of the pioneering Volkswagen Motorsport Academy.
The Volkswagen Motorsport Academy’s main goal will be to ensure the sustainability of motorsport and especially circuit racing going forward. This is further proof of Volkswagen’s commitment to the South African market and its people. The company has always been a responsible investor in the markets where they are represented, and nowhere else has it been more evident than right here on South African soil.
Over the past three years, the company, through its motorsport division and associated Volkswagen Advanced Driving Academy, has successfully unearthed raw driving talent through an innovative talent-search programme. For 2019, Volkswagen is pleased to announce that they have expanded even more through the establishment of a dedicated Volkswagen Motorsport Academy. The Academy will run a number of courses throughout 2019 that will be commercially available to the broader and upcoming motorsport communities. As a bonus, participants in all the courses will also stand a chance to be selected for a final shootout in November where the winner could end up with a chance to join to the official Volkswagen factory team.
“We are also very pleased to announce that our Motorsport Academy will be headed up by local racing legend and multiple champion in various categories, Michael Stephen,” said Mr. Mike Rowe, Head of Volkswagen Motorsport. “Michael comes with great credentials and racing experience and with him as the lead coach, we are certain that participants couldn’t really ask for anything better.”
The multiple South African champion is also upbeat about the new challenge offered by Volkswagen. “Motorsport has given me so much over the years,” said Stephen. “I am very excited to now be able to give something back. South Africa has produced some great drivers over the years and I can’t wait to play a part in finding and developing the next batch,” he concluded.
Volkswagen factory team driver line-up
For Volkswagen Motorsport itself, for 2019 the team will once again have its sights firmly set on both the GTC and GTC2 trophies. Brad Liebenberg will join Adrian Wood in the fleet of all-conquering Golf GTIs in the GTC2 category. “We all know that the GTI is championship winning car. We also know the talent and driving abilities of both Bradley and Adrian, so we hope that we will remain the team to beat in GTC2,” added Rowe. Liebenberg will have backing from Smartcall while the Wood GTI will once again sport Kyocera livery.
Double GTC2 champion Keagan Masters will now make the jump to the premier GTC category where he will join teammate Daniel Rowe in the Volkswagen GTC Jettas. “Keagan has more than earned his drive by dominating the GTC2 category over the last two seasons while Daniel proved to be one of the quickest drivers in the GTC field last year. Between the two of them, we have every reason to believe that we will be extremely competitive during 2019,” concluded Rowe.
Both Volkswagen’s factory teams competing in the Falken Polo Cup and GTC series will be in action during Round One of the 2019 Extreme Festival to be held at the beautiful Dezzi Raceway on the South Coast of KZN over the weekend of 1 and 2 March.
[Issued by Volkswagen Motorsport]
STATEMENT FROM MICHAEL STEPHEN, 3-TIME SASOL GTC CHAMPION
“After 17 years as part of Terry Moss Racing : Engen / Audi, it is unfortunate that due to unforeseen circumstances I will not be defending my Global Touring Cars title in 2019.
“I would like to thank the TMR team and all the associated sponsors (especially Engen Petroleum and Audi South Africa) for an amazing and successful journey over the years and wish them all of the best into the future.
“However, as one door closes many opportunities await and I am excited for the possibilities the future has to offer. So be sure that I won’t be disappearing!
“First up though, keep an eye out for a fast Plymouth Barracuda in the legends of the 9hr at Zwartkops on February 1-2. More info will follow regarding my plans for 2019.”
Everyone at GTC wishes Mike a successful year ahead and thanks him for the dedication he showed towards his team, sponsors, fellow competitors and the category. We hope to welcome him back on the grid in the near future! #SasolGTC
Global Touring Cars (GTC) has today released details of a new-look 2019 championship calendar with two new circuits being introduced to the eight-round season.
Starting in early March with the Extreme Festival, GTC will head to Port Shepstone to race for the first time at Dezzi Raceway, a circuit quickly becoming a feature on national racing calendars. The championship will then head to a mix of circuits including Zwartkops Raceway (Gauteng), Killarney Raceway (Cape Town) and Aldo Scribante (Port Elizabeth) before breaking away with the tour in August to be part of the SA Festival of Motoring at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit once again. The calendar will then finish the year with an additional visit to Cape Town followed by the finale in late October at Red Star Raceway (Delmas).
While seven of the eight rounds are part of the Extreme Festival, the standalone event at the Johannesburg International Motor Show returns after the huge success of racing in front of tens of thousands of people at Kyalami from all around South Africa in 2018.
“Last year was another huge step up for GTC with us racing in front of so many new fans at the SA Festival of Motoring and we knew last year that we wanted to make sure it was part of our calendar again,” said GTC director Gary Formato.
“Plus starting and ending the season at two completely new circuits, where no-one has raced these cars or done any form of testing, will add an exciting element to our championship fight which we expect to go down to the final races like the last few seasons.”
Last year, Engen Audi’s Michael Stephen claimed his third consecutive Sasol GTC Championship title at the final round at Zwartkops Raceway last October, ahead of title rival and teammate Simon Moss and Gennaro Bonafede from the Sasol GTC Racing Team in third.
In GTC2, Volkswagen Motorsport’s Keagan Masters took his second title in the production class, ahead of Signature Motorsport’s Devin Robertson and Brad Liebenberg. More information about GTC in 2019 will be announced in coming weeks.
2019 Calendar
Round 1: March 1-2 – Dezzi Raceway, Port Shepstone
Round 2: April 5-6 – Zwartkops Raceway, Gauteng
Round 3: May 10-11 – Killarney Raceway, Cape Town
Round 4: June 14-15 – Aldo Scribante Circuit, Port Elizabeth
Round 5: July 26-27 – Zwartkops Raceway, Gauteng
Round 6: August 23-25 – SA Festival of Motoring, Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit
Round 7: September 27-28 – Killarney Raceway, Cape Town
Round 8: October 25-26 – Red Star Raceway, Delmas
![[TEAM NEWS] SASOL GTC RACING TEAM PULLS OUT ALL THE STOPS FOR KILLARNEY RACEWAY](https://www.gtcafrica.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Sasol-GTC-Racing-Car-2-190x122.jpg)
Sandton, South Africa – The Sasol GTC Racing Team workshop has been a hive of activity as the team prepares for round two of the Sasol GTC Championship at Killarney Raceway in Cape Town on Saturday, 21st April. The aim is to defend and grow championship leader, Gennaro Bonafede’s points gap.
Bonafede, behind the wheel of his #32 BMW GTC racing car has a five point lead over Simon Moss (Audi) after the opening race where he claimed one victory and a second place finish.
“I expect the other guys, especially Michael Stephen, to come back strongly,” Bonafede predicts. “I had tremendous pace at Kyalami, so I’m confident of a good performance as I have traditionally done well at Killarney. I claimed my first GTC victory and started last season with a double win, which makes Killarney a special race track for me. Given the new power we have, it will be like driving on a new track. The fast back straight will be a “hair raising moment” as we are likely to top 250km/h before hitting the bumpy braking zone into Cape Town Corner.
Bonafede continued: “Cape Town race fans can look forward to some great racing and I hope to be right at the front of it. I doubt it will be a two-horse race as the Volkswagen team has benefitted from significant improvements and will be fielding two highly competitive race cars. . Johan (Fourie) is always a threat at his home track, so I expect any us to be racing for podium honours. The front of the grid is going to be a very busy place!”
Robert Wolk will have his work cut out for him after his #41 Sasol GTC racing car required a complete rebuild after Kyalami, following a massive accident that saw the driver experience in excess of 4G.
“It was a big one”, admitted Wolk, who walked away unharmed. “The team has worked day and night to rebuild my car. I am really looking forward to a competitive car which will give me the edge to challenge for the lead as I did at round one. I enjoy racing at Killarney in front of a large crowd of enthusiastic motorsport fans and hope to put on a good show for them.”
Team Manager Vic Maharaj said: “It is always our intention to race as competitively as we can and enjoy a trouble-free weekend. I am confident our cars will be on pace as we continually strive to seek a competitive advantage within the regulations. It is then up to the drivers to make the best use of their cars on the day. I have seen the GTC field close up considerably and expect bumper-to-bumper racing.”
Join the conversation on social media using #SasolGTC and visit www.sasolmotorsport.co.za for the latest #SasolGTC Championship news, broadcast schedules and so much more.
[ISSUED BY SASOL GTC RACING TEAM]
Sasol Preview: It’s showtime as the Sasol GTC Championship heads to Cape Town
Sandton, South Africa – The second round of the Sasol GTC Championship heads to Killarney International Raceway on Saturday 21 April and if the opening round at Kyalami is anything to go by, Western Cape fans are going to be thrilled by the new generation GTC cars.
The cars now feature engines producing up to 500 bhp in qualifying trim which should see the cars slash around 1.5 seconds a lap from their previous time around the 3.2km long circuit while hitting around 250km/h down the long back straight.
Such is the competitive nature of Sasol GTC racing, motorsport fans can expect entertainment from the top drawer as the early championship leader Gennaro Bonafede aims to extend his form at a track that has been kind to him in the past. After banking the first win of the season, the Sasol BMW GTC driver added a second place to his scorecard to open up a marginal five point gap over Simon Moss in his Engen Audi GTC, who ran out the winner of race two at Kyalami last month.
Michael van Rooyen lies third in the standings after pulling out all the stops to take his best qualifying position in his GTC career and taking his third-ever podium result which suggests both he and his team have come to grips with his RSC BMW GTC.
The ‘other’ Michael, Stephen – the double Sasol GTC Champion – is a further three points behind thanks to a second place finish in the first race at Kyalami. He was an innocent victim of a spectacular accident which befell Capetonian Johan Fourie and was classified a non-finisher. Stephen, the team leader in the Audi squad, has 13 championships to his name and will pull out all the stops to close the gap to Bonafede.
Fourie, Cape Town’s favourite son, will be back with a vengeance in his EPS Couriers BMW GTC with a point to prove and points to earn around the challenging track. Volkswagen will be well in the mix as seen by Mathew Hodges’ superb performance last month. He raced through to second place in his VW Jetta GTC while Daniel Rowe, in the second factory Jetta GTC, drove his heart out to catch the leaders after being tipped into a spin in the first race. The Volkswagen’s pace is up with the rest of the pack so expect the sparks to fly as the top drivers in SA’s premier touring car series do battle against the backdrop of table Mountain.
After qualifying on the front row of the grid and racing away in second place, Robert Wolk (Sasol BMW GTC) will be on a mission to get his scorecard ticking over after a mechanical gremlin put him on the sidelines at Kyalami.
GTC2:
The front-wheel drive class has already produced its share of paint-swapping racing as the Volkswagen versus MINI battle rages unabated.
While Keagan Masters drove his factory Golf GTi to victory in race one at the first round, it was the turn of Bradley Liebenberg (Ferodo MINI John Cooper Works) to cross the line first in the second race and take a five point log lead with Mr. Consistency, Trevor Bland in his Universal healthcare Golf GTi, slotting into second place in the standings.
Charl Smalberger (UniChip Golf GTi) is feeling the heat with Masters lurking four points adrift, in turn two points ahead of Devin Robertson in the Champion-backed MINI JCW. With all five drivers proven race winners, the hot-hatch war is getting hotter.
Newcomer Reno van Heerden (Hot Wheels Ford Focus ST) earned a workmanlike 24 points on his debut, to lead the second factory Volkswagen and Kyocera-backed driver, Adrian Wood, by two points, tied with Capetonian Dayne Angel (Angel Autohaus Honda Civic Type-R) who raced to a career best fourth last time out.
Join the conversation on social media using #SasolGTC and visit www.sasolmotorsport.co.za for the latest #SasolGTC Championship news, broadcast schedules and so much more.
[ISSUED BY SASOL]
A circular was distributed by the MSA on April 11 announcing that it has had to necessitate some amendments to its published racing calendar for the remainder of 2018 due to the non-availability of Red Star Raceway.
Subsequently, the Sasol GTC Championship has today announced a revised calendar for 2018 which sees the championship hold its grand finale at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit from October 19-20, as part of the Extreme Festival. Further information about our grand finale and gala awards will be announced later in the season.
Midrand, South Africa – Gennaro Bonafede and Simon Moss shared race honours at the opening round of the Sasol GTC Championship held at the iconic Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit, with close racing keeping the spectators on the edge of their seats at the season-opener.
Bonafede (#32 Sasol BMW GTC) took the opening race victory dominantly from pole-position, followed home by the defending champion Michael Stephen (#1 Engen Audi GTC) and Johan Fourie (#14 EPS Couriers GTC) taking the final podium place. Mathew Hodges (#57 Volkswagen Motorsport Jetta GTC) was second across the line but was penalised for a technical infringement which dropped the VW driver to fifth place.
Simon Moss (#38 Engen Audi GTC) ended race one in fourth place followed by Hodges and Daniel Rowe in the second factory Volkswagen Jetta GTC; Rowe was tapped into a spin by Moss at the first corner, sending him to the back of the field. Michael van Rooyen (#95 RCS BMW GTC) fell back from his excellent third qualifying spot to seventh after enduring an intermittent misfire.
Robert Wolk (#41 Sasol BMW GTC) speared off the circuit at the bottom of the Mineshaft after suspension failure on lap seven while holding third place, sustaining damage to his car that led him sit out the rest of the day’s action.
In GTC2, Keagan Masters – the defending class champion – staved off his rivals with strong racing to the chequered flag, followed by Brad Liebenberg (#12 Ferodo MINI John Cooper Works) and Trevor Bland (#5 Universal Healthcare VW Golf GTi). Adrian Wood (#114 Kyocera VW Golf GTi), Charl Smalberger (#15 UniChip VW Golf GTi) and Devin Robertson (#20 Champion MINI John Cooper Works) rounded out the top six.
From an inverted grid for race two, Daniel Rowe powered his Volkswagen Jetta into the lead, hounded around the 4.5km circuit by Moss and Fourie. Going through the kink, Rowe put all four wheels off the track and collided with Fourie’s BMW, ending the VW driver’s day. Moss, from fourth on the grid was leading when the race was red-flagged after Adrian Wood crashed into the wall at turn 10, shaken but unhurt.
The grid reformed in the original order for the remaining ten laps and a high-speed train of GTC cars continued to entertain as Moss, Fourie, Bonafede, Stephen and Van Rooyen circulated nose-to-tail. Moss spun at the bottom of the Mineshaft which dropped him to the back of the field. Bonafede passed Fourie for the lead before the biggest incident of the day happened a lap later.
On lap five, the Sasol GTC Championship experienced its biggest incident when Fourie racing at high speed down the main straight experienced a complete braking loss heading into turn two. Spinning his car to scrub off speed, Fourie nevertheless collided with Michael Stephen’s Audi and instantly ended the crowd-pleasing race. The race was red-flagged once more.
“As I was racing down the main straight there were no brakes going into turn one”, said Fourie. “There was nothing I could do and to avoid crashing straight into the wall, I threw the car sideways to avoid hitting Michael Stephen and Michael van Rooyen. Unfortunately I hit Michael Stephen which slowed me down a bit but I still went into the wall.”
With both drivers uninjured, GTC co-founder Gary Formato reinforced that the build of the cars formed part of the reason the drivers could walk away from such an incident.
“The GTC cars were always designed with safety as a priority, and to see the drivers walking away unharmed is a testament to both the strength of the car and crew who build the racecars to the highest safety standards,” said Formato.
At the second re-start of race two, Bonafede, who took the lead just before the race was stopped, held onto first place and opened a gap until he encountered a fuel pressure issue on the penultimate lap, ultimately falling to second place behind Moss in the final classification. Van Rooyen had an alternator malfunction but circulated to third place and his second ever podium finish.
In GTC2, newcomer Reno Van Heerden (#100 Hot Wheels Ford Focus STi) was quickly left behind as the faster racers threaded their way to front of the field. Bland led the class while Masters quickly picked his way through the pack to secure the best possible result. Masters was forced to retire on lap four with suspension issues, leaving Liebenberg to find a way past Bland. Once the Ferodo MINI was past, Liebenberg held on to the lead while Bland and Smalberger fought it out for the other podium positions, the final result going to Bland ahead of Smalberger.
The Sasol GTC Championship travels to Killarney International Raceway for the second round of the season from April 20-21.
Join the conversation on social media using #SasolGTC and visit www.sasolmotorsport.co.za for the latest #SasolGTC Championship news, broadcast schedules and so much more.
[Issued by Sasol]
PROVISIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS:
Sandton, South Africa – The Sasol GTC Championship enters the penultimate round of an exciting 2017 season with the championship title now between just two drivers who have dominated the season so far. The Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit hosts the eighth round on November 4, with the latest instalment of the premier touring car series set to deliver another thrilling tussle between the country’s top racing drivers.
Michael Stephen, the reigning Sasol GTC Champion, leads the standings by 43 points having powered his Engen Xtreme Audi GTC to eight race victories and two second place finishes across the 14 races held around the country since March. Stephen’s year got off to a sluggish start, but has since reeled in the season-long championship leader Gennaro Bonafede, who started the season with a bang after racing his Sasol Turbofuels™ Plus BMW GTC car into first place in the opening three races.
While Stephen gained momentum as the season progressed, Bonafede’s season low point came at Zwartkops in August where he lost the championship lead to his rival. Cape Town’s Killarney Raceway hosted the last round where honours were even between the two title chasers; taking a win and a second place apiece, leaving the championship race wide open.
Whatever happens at Kyalami, the championship cannot be won until the final round in late November.
The only other driver to have won a race of the Sasol GTC Championship is Robert Wolk in the #41 Sasol Turbofuels™ Plus BMW GTC race car in Port Elizabeth, back in July. He is ranked sixth in the standings, but will now be expected to help the team in their championship fight. Likewise, Simon Moss in the second Engen Xtreme Audi GTC, third in the title race with 10 podium results to his credit, will have to put his ambitions aside to help the team in their quest, so a massive four-way fight is going to keep the Kyalami fans on the edge of their seats.
Johan Fourie (EPS Couriers BMW GTC) is fourth in the series standings with six podiums against his name and will be going all out to bank his maiden GTC victory while fending off Mathew Hodges in the leading factory Volkswagen Jetta GTC, who is only 20 points behind the BMW driver. Hodges has flown the VW flag high with four podium finishes and has set his sights on moving up the log order before season’s end.
Wolk is between a rock and a hard place as another top result will take him within reach of Hodges, while Daniel Rowe in the second Volkswagen Jetta GTC is a slender six points away. Rowe has endured the worst of VW’s luck this year, but showed that he is quite capable of banking podium results, which he has done twice this year.
Rounding out the GTC log is Michael van Rooyen in his RSC BMW GTC. One of the sport’s great characters, the affectionately named Rustenburg Rocket has a number of results just off the podium and his objective for the remainder of the year is to secure a top three result.
GTC2:
Keagan Masters, the champion-elect, has a healthy 144 point lead following six victories and four other podium results and is likely to give Volkswagen Motorsport a much deserved victory at Kyalami. The 17 year-old Golf GTi driver had a solid performance in his class while the Golf is a well-developed racing car.
The fight of the GTC 2 class is a four-way racing tussle between the current runner-up Trevor Bland (TB Golf GTi), Charl Smalberger (iCorp VW GTi), Chris Shorter (Champion MINI JCW) and Brad Liebenberg in his Ferodo MINI JCW. Between them, they have banked seven victories and 20 podiums in spectacular motorsport entertainment throughout the season.
The MINI duo has four victories, three to Liebenberg and one to Shorter, while Bland and Smalberger have a win apiece. The quintet must keep an eye out for Mandla Mdakane in the second works VW Golf GTi, who won at Kyalami in April. Mandla certainly has the credentials and pedigree to upset the final points order. Iain Stevenson has swapped his Golf for a Comsol-backed Honda Civi Type-R to take on Dayne Angel (Angel Autohaus Honda Civic Type-R) who has been using the six week break for racing development purposes to get to the front of the grid. Three newcomers in the class are the Volkswagen trio of Nick Adcock, Darryn Lobb and Johan Pretorius, joining the GTC2 grid to take on the regular runners.
The Sasol GTC Championship features the popular fan grid walk before the first race, while the second race sees the cars start in the reverse order, an exciting race format that has seen some exceptional driving throughout the year.
Join the conversation on social media using #SasolGTC and visit www.sasolmotorsport.co.za for the latest Sasol GTC Championship news, broadcast schedules and so much more.
[Issued by Sasol]