What Global Touring Cars Round 4 Preview
Where Aldo Scribante, Gqeberha EP
When Saturday 17 June 2023
Community South Africa National
New machinery signals GTC things to come in Gqeberha
The Global Touring Car championship hers to Gqeberha’s midwinter midseason round at Aldo Scribante’s Extreme Festival on the cusp of a new era on Saturday 17 June. Not only is the fraught established status quo set to continue its no quarter given, no quarter taken spat into Nelson Mandela Bay, but the first of several new cars signals exciting things to come in the months ahead.
It is perhaps poignant that this race weekend is on the anniversary of the tragic events that dealt the series a body blow on the road home, as much as the man driving the new car makes his return following a frightening accident at the opening round at Kyalami. Julian van der Watt is training hard in his recovery and expected to take the wheel of the first of two long awaited Chemical Logistics BMW 128ti GTCs for his Aldo Scribante comeback.
Julian’s BMW replaces his destroyed Ford Focus, while a second 128ti GTC is among several other cars still in build as Global Touring Cars fights back from its difficult times. They will soon join the rest of the grid, which will continue its fight at Aldo Scribante this weekend. The world is also waiting to see how championship leader Saood Variawa and his Toyota Gazoo Racing Corolla Hatch GTC squares up to double reigning GTC champion Robert Wolk’s Chemical Logistics Toyota Corolla Sedan GTC following the shenanigans of Zwartkops.
Variawa will be backed by teammates, impressive rookie Nathi Msimanga’s Corolla Sedan GTC and veteran Michael van Rooyen’s similar Gazoo Racing Hatch version. Wolk has three fellow Investchem Formula 1600 champions as his henchmen. Andrew Rackstraw will be back after his disastrous Zwartkops outing when his Sparco RDSA VW Golf GTC suffered a qualifying engine failure and put him out for the day. Josh Le Roux races his Master Stairs Investchem Audi S3 GTC, and Julian van der Watt will be out in that brand new BMW.
Fast and furious, the Global Touring Cars can be expected to thrill on the twisty, tight but fast Aldo Scribante racetrack. Even better, the first of several new cars is ready to impress and pave a solid new GTC path to the future. Don’t miss the action!
Issued on behalf of Global Touring Cars
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