The 2025 South African national circuit racing season got under way with Round 1 of the Extreme Festival, which was hosted by the Killarney International Raceway in the Mother City on 7 and 8 March. This was also the first outing for the 2025 GR Cup, consisting of the GR Cup Media Challenge, GR Cup Dealer Challenge, and GR86 Development Academy.
Killarney is known as a short but challenging circuit, with a bumpy surface and mix of fast and technical corners, ranging from the daunting Cape Town corner to the high-speed Sarel Sweep. As such, it proved a tough baptism of fire for this year’s GR Cup contestants, many of who had not driven around the Cape Town circuit in anger before.
GR CUP MEDIA CHALLENGE
The opening race of this year’s GR Cup Media Challenge again saw six of the country’s top motoring writers take to the track – this time from behind the wheel of the punchy GR Yaris. The six competitors for 2025 are:
• Willem van de Putte (Independent Media/IOL)
• Charl Bosch (Citizen)
• Lawrence Minnie (AutoTrader)
• Phuti Mpyane (TimesLive)
• Kyle Kock (CAR Magazine)
• Nabil Abdool (SuperSport)
The weekend started with practice sessions on the Friday, followed by a Qualifying session early on the Saturday morning. While all the drivers were on a similar pace during the early sessions, it was SuperSport’s Nabil Abdool who set the fastest time in Qualifying. Abdool’s time of 1:25:146 was not only the fastest of the Media Challenge crews, but the fastest time of the entire GR Cup field overall. For Abdool, this result came as a surprise, as his previous racing experience was limited to a simulator, and this was his first ever outing at Killarney.
The SuperSport man was followed by Kyle Kock and Phuti Mpyane, with Lawrence Minnie, Willem van de Putte and Charl Bosch completing the Media Challenge line-up.
Race 1 saw Abdool continue his dominance, as he completed the 8-lap opening race in first place, leading the Media Challenge from flag to flag. Kock held onto second place, with Mpyane in third and Minnie in fourth. Bosch came through in fifth place, with Van de Putte completing the Media Challenge in sixth place.
Race 2 was a rinse-and-repeat of the opening race, with Abdool again dominating the race. Kock was in second, Mpyane in third and Minnie in fourth. Bosch and Van de Putte again completed the results. This was a power performance by Abdool, and the SuperSport driver will be one to watch over the coming rounds. With that said, Kock is quickly finding his feet, and may well be a factor as the season unfolds.
GR CUP DEALER CHALLENGE
The GR Cup Media Challenge has bolstered the GR Cup grid over the last few seasons, and the GR Driving Academy’s Paul de Vos and Devon Scott quickly emerged as two of the top names in the class. This time around, it was Scott’s turn to do battle, and the burly driving instructor picked up from where he left off at the end of 2024.
Scott qualified his GR Corolla in pole position, and managed to secure victory in both races over the course of the weekend. He was followed home by Motus Toyota’s Mario de Sousa on both occasions, with the experienced racer nipping at the heels of his younger foe. Werner Venter, in the NMI Toyota GR Corolla finished in third place in both races, while Andries de Villiers (Rola Motors), Rudolf Boonzaaier (Waterberg Toyota) and Tiaan Combrink, in the Halfway Toyota car, completed the results.
GR 86 DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY
Jason Coetzee was the man of the moment in the GR 86 Development Academy. The youngster qualified on pole, and went on to win both heats in his GR 86. Mikel Bezuidenhout took second place in the opening race, with Khanya Ngwennya completing the podium. Race 2 saw Coetzee again emerge victorious, with Bezuidenhout in second and Kent Swartz in third, capping a great weekend for the competitors in the GR 86 Development Academy.
SUPASTARLET
While not part of the GR Cup, Dawie van der Merwe had his first outing in the stunning SupaStarlet as part of the SupaCup. The young gun reported that the car still needed some setup tweaks, but nonetheless he went faster in each session over the course of the weekend. He qualified the SupaStarlet in 6th place, but was less than a second off the fastest time.
For Race 1, he held onto his 6th place, improving to 4th place in Race 2 – testament both to the potential pace of the car, and Van der Merwe’s undeniable tenacity.
The next round of the championship is set to take place on 12 April at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit.
QUALIFYING RESULTS:
GR Cup Media Challenge
| Pos | Competitor | Laps | Best Lap | Best Lap No. |
| 1 | Nabil Abdool | 10 | 1:25.146 | 7 |
| 2 | Kyle Kock | 5 | 1:27.393 | 3 |
| 3 | Phuti Mpyane | 9 | 1:28.572 | 4 |
| 4 | Lawrence Minnie | 6 | 1:29.927 | 4 |
| 5 | Willem van de Putte | 9 | 1:33.028 | 8 |
| 6 | Charl Bosch | 9 | 1:35.157 | 4 |
GR Cup Dealer Challenge
| Pos | Competitor | Laps | Best Lap | Best Lap No. |
| 1 | Devon Scott | 9 | 1:25.243 | 5 |
| 2 | Mario de Sousa | 7 | 1:25.621 | 4 |
| 3 | Werner Venter | 9 | 1:26.504 | 6 |
| 4 | Andries de Villiers | 9 | 1:26.858 | 5 |
| 5 | Rudolf Boonzaier | 7 | 1:28.646 | 6 |
| 6 | Tiaan Combrink | 9 | 1:33.789 | 5 |
GR86 Development Academy
| Pos | Competitor | Laps | Best Lap | Best Lap No. |
| 1 | Jason Coetzee | 6 | 1:25.886 | 3 |
| 2 | Kent Swartz | 8 | 1:26.271 | 7 |
| 3 | Mikel Bezuidenhout | 6 | 1:26.490 | 6 |
| 4 | Khanya Ngwenya | 3 | 1:27.373 | 3 |
| 5 | Brandon van der Walt | 10 | 1:28.518 | 10 |
| 6 | Jordan Moodley | 9 | 1:28.737 | 8 |
| 7 | Vatiswa Mokhonana | 7 | 1:31.035 | 3 |
RACE 1 RESULTS:
GR Cup Media Challenge
| Pos | Competitor | Total Time | Laps | Best Lap | Best Lap No. |
| 1 | Nabil Abdool | 12:09.584 | 8 | 1:27.652 | 3 |
| 2 | Kyle Kock | 12:12.538 | 8 | 1:28.073 | 5 |
| 3 | Phuti Mpyane | 12:19.554 | 8 | 1:29.145 | 6 |
| 4 | Lawrence Minnie | 12:24.001 | 8 | 1:29.618 | 3 |
| 5 | Charl Bosch | 12:50.277 | 8 | 1:32.266 | 2 |
| 6 | Willem van de Putte | 12:53.525 | 8 | 1:32.509 | 8 |
GR Cup Dealer Challenge
| Pos | Competitor | Total Time | Laps | Best Lap | Best Lap No. |
| 1 | Devon Scott | 11:59.460 | 8 | 1:26.716 | 2 |
| 2 | Mario de Sousa | 12:00.878 | 8 | 1:26.797 | 3 |
| 3 | Werner Venter | 12:08.724 | 8 | 1:27.934 | 6 |
| 4 | Andries de Villiers | 12:20.780 | 8 | 1:28.771 | 5 |
| 5 | Rudolf Boonzaier | 12:43.362 | 8 | 1:29.466 | 3 |
| 6 | Tiaan Combrink | 13:11.543 | 8 | 1:31.857 | 6 |
GR86 Development Academy
| Pos | Competitor | Total Time | Laps | Best Lap | Best Lap No. |
| 1 | Jason Coetzee | 11:44.337 | 8 | 1:27.535 | 6 |
| 2 | Mikel Bezuidenhout | 11:45.439 | 8 | 1:27.394 | 8 |
| 3 | Khanya Ngwenya | 11:47.013 | 8 | 1:27.581 | 8 |
| 4 | Kent Swartz | 11:48.680 | 8 | 1:27.747 | 3 |
| 5 | Brandon van der Nest | 12:05.425 | 8 | 1:29.703 | 6 |
| 6 | Jordan Moodley | 12:09.507 | 8 | 1:29.116 | 4 |
| 7 | Vatiswa Mokhonana | 13:00.199 | 8 | 1:30.723 | 3 |
RACE 2 RESULTS:
GR Cup Media Challenge
| Pos | Competitor | Total Time | Laps | Best Lap | Best Lap No. |
| 1 | Nabil Abdool | 11:48.098 | 8 | 1:25.693 | 5 |
| 2 | Kyle Kock | 12:01.614 | 8 | 1:27.804 | 4 |
| 3 | Phuti Mpyane | 12:03.390 | 8 | 1:27.819 | 4 |
| 4 | Lawrence Minnie | 12:22.944 | 8 | 1:29.986 | 7 |
| 5 | Charl Bosch | 12:44.204 | 8 | 1:31.408 | 7 |
| 6 | Willem van de Putte | 12:57.425 | 8 | 1:31.935 | 5 |
GR Cup Dealer Challenge
| Pos | Competitor | Total Time | Laps | Best Lap | Best Lap No. |
| 1 | Devon Scott | 11:44.970 | 8 | 1:26.080 | 3 |
| 2 | Mario de Sousa | 11:47.789 | 8 | 1:25.786 | 3 |
| 3 | Werner Venter | 12:13.156 | 8 | 1:27.857 | 5 |
| 4 | Andries de Villiers | 12:15.234 | 8 | 1:28.469 | 3 |
| 5 | Rudolf Boonzaier | 12:39.483 | 8 | 1:29.301 | 7 |
| 6 | Tiaan Combrink | 13:04.274 | 8 | 1:34.089 | 7 |
GR86 Development Academy
| Pos | Competitor | Total Time | Laps | Best Lap | Best Lap No. |
| 1 | Jason Coetzee | 11:45.953 | 8 | 1:27.273 | 2 |
| 2 | Mikel Bezuidenhout | 11:46.782 | 8 | 1:27.237 | 2 |
| 3 | Kent Swartz | 11:47.313 | 8 | 1:27.634 | 6 |
| 4 | Jordan Moodley | 12:00.028 | 8 | 1:28.728 | 5 |
| 5 | Brandon van der Nest | 12:01.019 | 8 | 1:28.637 | 2 |
| 6 | Vatiswa Mokhonana | 12:33.038 | 8 | 1:30.647 | 6 |
| 7 | Khanya Ngwenya | 12:33.732 | 8 | 1:27.365 | 6 |
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing South Africa Acknowledges Its Sponsors
Toyota enjoys a mutually beneficial relationship with Toyota Financial Services, Garmin, Dunlop, Ferodo and Kinto.
Published by: Karabo Sethusha
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