Officially halfway through the season, it was a tricky turn in the championship with one lap pace proving that this is not what a race weekend is ultimately about. Alex Shahini describes how he took a P3 overall finish.
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The season has paid off so far. A podium at every race finish, two pole positions and most importantly self-improvement. That said, the lucrative race win has proven elusive and for round 4 of the GR Cup I was hoping to close the gap on the interval over the course of the weekend. Aldo Scribante Raceway in the blissfully baronial Coega Industrial Development Zone provided the stage for the mid-season showdown. Built in the 1970s, the circuit still retains much of that classic (or archaic, depending on the opinion) charm. Despite this, the first few laps served as opportunities to get to know this new stretch of tarmac.
A fast straight leads into a tight and technical section, with the rest of the setup consisting of low and medium speed performances for both car and driver. Unfortunately, a boost pipe failure early in the 30-minute session caused the car to grind to a halt, with me strategically parking it behind the confines of a tire barrier hill to avoid a red flag for my competitors. The cause of the mechanical failure was likely the result of repairs carried out on the GR Corolla over the previous months, but once towed back to the pits it was up and running again in no time.
This lack of track time ultimately meant that I would start the official Friday practice sessions on the back foot, but on the plus side, fewer fast laps would save the Dunlop semi-slicks, which had already seen a race weekend at Zwartkops. All the practice sessions and the subsequent qualifying session produced a time that was frustratingly far behind Sean Nurse, but also comfortable ahead of the rest of the field.
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This put me in a good position, trying to keep the mileage of the hard, hot laps low in an attempt to save tyres for the two race heats. As a reminder, tyres for all competitors must be changed after every third race weekend. Race day on Saturday welcomed some cloud, but warmer weather than the calm, clear days before. Ambient temperatures ranged from the mid to high 20s, not ideal for racing conditions and tyres were bordering on the binding. The summery feel, while great for the thousands of spectators lining the circuit and preparing braais, was the cause of some tantalising frustration for me behind the wheel.
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The warmer conditions mean it gets hotter a lot quicker. In previous rounds of the GR Cup, the impressive AWD GR Corolla would send all its power and torque to the front wheels as soon as the red-hot aftermarket exhaust, located close to the rear differential, overheated the system. This happened relatively early in both races that day and, combined with a couple of instances of driver error, saw me fall to the side of the front-runners (including an armada of the lighter, more agile GR Yarises) for ultimate speed.
With the semi-slicks almost turning into slicks and the grip advantage remaining on the colourless tarmac, the battle was now from behind with the rest of the GR Corollas driven by my media colleagues hot on my heels. Undeniably fun, this scrappy battle between four of Toyota’s best three-cylinder hatchbacks provided thrills in each respective cabin. I managed to finish the event with a P3 in Race 1 and a P4 in Race 2, with the overall classification earning me the final step of the podium.
While there were undoubtedly mechanical issues, an abrasive tyre-chewing track surface and driver mistakes, the important lesson here is that one lap pace does not win races or produce consistent results. Many of the greats of motorsport were able to reach the heights they did because they were able to adapt to the conditions and adversity of each race. This is one of the many facets of motorsport, and one that I need to get better at in my quest to become a more capable driver. On to East London and the infamous Potters Pass at the end of July!
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