Oldfield back to winning ways GR CUP at Killarney

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing SA’s popular GR Cup moved to the Killarney International Circuit near the Mother City for its penultimate round, with experienced racer Ashley Oldfield dominating proceedings. Oldfield lost out on valuable points during the previous round in East London, but came back with a vengeance to not only take pole position in qualifying, but also to storm to victory in both races.

“I couldn’t have asked for the weekend to go any better,” said the Cape Town-based motoring writer after the race. “The plan was to come here and be faster than our last outing at Killarney, and I managed to achieve that goal. There was a great dice for victory in Race 1, and it was nice to see Sean Nurse challenging for victory. Race 2 brought more of the same, with Sean and I drawing a gap over the rest of the field. Overall, it was a great weekend, and the car ran perfectly.”

For Nurse, Killarney brought a steep learning curve. The motoring scribe had never completed a lap in anger at Cape Town’s iconic track, after missing the opening round of the series due to personal commitments. He made up for it during Round 6, however, gaining experience quickly through the practice sessions and into qualifying. Despite struggling to find fifth gear at times in the stock-standard Toyota GR Yaris, Nurse managed to put himself in third place during qualifying.

“When Race 1 got under way, I managed to find a way past Thomas (Falkiner) early on, and held onto second place all the way through. Then, in the second race, I started in second and managed to retain that position to the chequered flag. I can’t be happier with the results from this weekend, and it was great to be in touch with the leaders again. I even challenged Ashley a little during the second race, so I’m stoked with the results.”

Former race winner Thomas Falkiner started Race 1 in P2, but Nurse squeezed past early on. Unfortunately, Falkiner was unable to regain the lost position, and had to settle for third place by the end of the race. Race 2 was more of the same for Falkiner, in the sense that he finished in third place again, after a tight race at the head of the field.

Further back, Mark Jones and Jeanette Kok-Kritzinger found themselves embroiled in an epic battle, which stretched over both races. In the end it was Kok-Kritzinger who emerged victorious, dealing a killer blow to Jones’ aspirations for third place in the series. Jones, for his part, was kept on his toes by erratic 4^th gear selection. Lerato Matebese brought his GR Yaris home in 6^th place during both race heats.

With one round to go in the inaugural GR Cup, it seems that Ashley Oldfield is likely to win the first ever GR Cup – and the motoring scribe-turned-racer will be hunting for a seat either in Global Touring Cars (GTC) or Supacup. Thomas Falkiner’s good results during the previous round has seen him cement second place; while Sean Nurse has now opened up a gap over Mark Jones for third place in the overall standings. The final round of the season is scheduled to take place at Zwartkops Raceway near Pretoria next month.

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Posted by Toyota South Africa on Motorpress

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