TOYOTA GAZOO Racing South Africa (TGRSA) is set to turn up the heat in the 2026 GR Cup season with the launch of the new GR Cup Hot Seat — a fresh challenge that will see three well-known South African personalities step into the pressure cooker of real-world circuit racing.
Across three rounds of the 2026 GR Cup season, celebrated broadcaster and media personalities Girlie Lukhele, Kriya Gangiah, and Mpho Maboi will each take their turn behind the wheel of the GR Yaris AT, as they take to their respective circuits.
The initiative aims to give the guest drivers a first-hand taste of the intensity, pressure, and excitement that defines the GR Cup paddock — trading studios, microphones and simulators for helmets, race suits and wheel-to-wheel action.
The GR Cup Hot Seat schedule for 2026 is as follows:
* 22–23 May | Zwartkops Raceway | Girlie Lukhele
* 18–19 September | Killarney Raceway | Kriya Gangiah
* 16–17 October | Zwartkops Raceway | Mpho Maboi
While each of the three women comes from a different background, they all share one thing in common — a genuine passion for motorsport and a willingness to step outside their comfort zones.
Girlie Lukhele, a sim racer, content creator, and rookie rally driver, will be the first to tackle the challenge when she lines up at Zwartkops Raceway in May. Although her experience largely comes from the National Rally Championship, she is eager to test herself in circuit racing.
“Track is something that’s not very familiar to me, so I’m really looking forward to learning more than anything,” said Lukhele. “Rally has always been my comfort zone, but I’m hoping to apply what I’ve learned there to the track environment — and hopefully fight for a podium.”
Kriya Gangiah will make her GR Cup Hot Seat debut later in the year at Killarney Raceway, where she admits the challenge of tackling the iconic Cape Town circuit is both exciting and intimidating.
“I always get the opportunity to talk about racing and understand the theory behind it,” said Gangiah. “Now I finally get to put that theory into practice. I’ve driven road cars on various circuits before, but never Killarney, so this is going to be a completely new experience for me.”
While Gangiah joked that her first goal is simply to “keep it on the black stuff,” she is eager to embrace the challenge and experience the pressure of competitive racing from the driver’s seat.
The final GR Cup Hot Seat appearance of the season will belong to sports broadcaster Mpho Maboi, who will race at Zwartkops Raceway in October.
Maboi, who has spent more than two decades working in radio and television, says the opportunity forms part of her personal commitment to embracing new experiences.
“I believe in saying yes to opportunities,” she explained. “At the end of the day, I just want to have fun and walk away with the experience of having driven a real racing car. What better way to do that than with the Toyota GR Cup?”
Unlike some complete newcomers, Maboi has already sampled circuit racing before, having previously competed at Zwartkops Raceway — something that could prove valuable when she returns to the track later this season.
The GR Cup Hot Seat forms part of TGRSA’s broader commitment to growing motorsport participation and introducing new audiences to the excitement of circuit racing.
However, while the atmosphere around the initiative promises plenty of fun and entertainment, the challenge itself will be very real. The GR Yaris AT car is fast, demanding and exciting, and while the ladies won’t be competing for championship points, the overall GR Cup has already proven fiercely competitive in 2026 across all of its different categories.
The question now is simple: can these three personalities handle the pressure when the visor drops and the lights go out?
