TOYOTA GAZOO Racing South Africa (TGRSA) officially joined the 2025 South African Touring Car Championship (SATC) this past weekend, taking to the grid for the first time this year during Round 2 of the championship. The event, held at the iconic Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit in Gauteng, marked the team’s full-season return, with all three of its regular SATC drivers – Michael van Rooyen, Saood Variawa, and Nathi Msimanga – back in action.
The weekend also saw the return of the TGRSA SupaStarlet in the SupaCup category, with Dawie van der Merwe once again behind the wheel following his season opener at Killarney.
Qualifying
TGRSA hit the ground running in qualifying, with Michael van Rooyen securing pole position for the SATC field. His lap of 1:49.979 was just enough to edge out the competition. Teammate Saood Variawa posted the third-fastest time, only four hundredths of a second off the pole, while Nathi Msimanga qualified seventh.
While Saood described the session as interrupted and untidy, he was still satisfied with the outcome given the conditions.
In the SupaCup qualifying session, Dawie van der Merwe showed good pace and slotted into tenth place in class with a best lap of 1:56.775. It marked a step forward from his previous round, as he continued to settle into the SupaStarlet and the rhythm of the championship.
Race 1
The first race of the weekend brought instant success for TGRSA. Saood Variawa made a lightning start off the line, launching himself into the lead before Turn 1. From there, he controlled the pace and pulled away, leading from start to finish for a commanding win. Michael van Rooyen held on for second, sealing a dominant one-two finish for the team. Nathi Msimanga unfortunately retired and was not classified.
Saood described the day as a rollercoaster, having started the weekend well off the pace in practice before strong setup changes helped bring the car to life. His Race 1 result was a key highlight and a confidence boost for the team.
In SupaCup, Dawie van der Merwe drove a clean and composed race to finish sixth in class. He completed all eight laps with a best lap of 1:57.136, continuing to build momentum in his second event of the season.
Race 2
With the reverse-grid rule in effect for Race 2, the order was shuffled for the second outing. Saood started from sixth and quickly moved up to third, but an incident between him and teammate Michael van Rooyen saw the two TGRSA cars swap positions. In the end, Michael crossed the line in sixth, just ahead of Saood in seventh. Nathi Msimanga, meanwhile, recovered well from his Race 1 retirement to claim fourth in class after a competitive drive through the field.
Dawie van der Merwe once again kept it tidy in the SupaCup race, finishing seventh in class. His consistent pace and ability to steer clear of trouble saw him complete the race distance with a best lap of 1:57.732, marking another step forward in his development with the SupaStarlet.
With a full race weekend now under their belts, TGRSA leaves Kyalami encouraged by the pace and performance of their machines. Despite some minor setbacks and hard-fought moments in Race 2, the team’s double podium in Race 1, strong qualifying performance, and solid points haul across both categories signal a promising start to their 2025 campaign.
Round 3 of the 2025 SATC season will take place on 10 May at the Aldo Scribante Circuit in Gqeberha, in the Eastern Cape.
