ZWARTKOPS – The GR Cup is now at the midway point of the National Extreme Festival season. Defending second in the championship is CAR road test editor Kyle Kock’s main priority as just four points separate him and the nearest rival in third.
The first practice session yielded the day’s fastest time for Kock.
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The 2.40-km long circuit just south of Pretoria is the shortest of the season calendar, and the home of Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa. The hairpin at turn two is the slowest corner of the calendar, but is followed by a fast and flowing flatout right hander and then turn four requires some bravery from the driver as just a dab on the brakes is required to turn a car in before the climb uphill to the “tabletop” that marks turns five and six.
Ahead of the fourth round’s raceday on Saturday 21 June, a 25-car strong GR Cup field showed up at Zwartkops for three practice sessions on Friday 20 June. Kock showed some strong pace early on, with a fastest lap of 1:13.329 – fastest of the media contingent and sixth fastest of the field.
Caught in traffic during second practice, Kock only managed a 1:14.307, with the 2025 GR Yaris going into limp mode due to high engine temperatures, resulting in a shorter session than expected. With the intercooler spray reservoir topped up with 3.7 litres of distilled water, and the new set of Dunlop semi-slick tyres properly scrubbed in, the third practice session would be a make-or-break moment to determine the car’s limits.
Fast in and fast out of turn four at Zwartkops.
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Kock was out second on the track behind the NMI GR Yaris of Dealer Challenge contender Theo Brits, and settled into an early rhythm, managing a fastest lap of 1:13.965. Crucially, this puts him behind the championship leader, Supersport’s Nabil Abdool (1:13.020), and his closest championship rival, TimesLive’s Phuti Mpyane (1:13.611).
“I think I’ve got a feel for the circuit at race pace. For qualifying ahead of Saturday’s racing, I need to tighten up a few of the corners I’m losing pace on, such as the hairpin (turn 2), rotating the Yaris on the brake at turn four and using all the track for maximum speed at turn six. With a full reservoir and just 8 laps of racing, I’m certain the car will 100%”
Championship standings ahead of round four
Nabil Abdool (Supersport) – 42 points
Kyle Kock (CAR magazine) – 29
Phuti Mpyane (TimesLive) – 25
Lawrence Minni (AutoTrader) – 18
Charl Bosch (Citizen) – 11
Willem van de Putte – 7
The post GR Cup Round 4: All To Play For appeared first on CAR Magazine.
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