Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa Closes out the 2026 Season at Zwartkops as Scott Seals the Dealer Title and Van Rooyen Bids Farewell
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing South Africa (TGRSA) brought the curtain down on the 2026 season this past weekend, as the GR Cup and South African Touring Cars (SATC) championships concluded with a sweltering, closely fought finale at the Zwartkops Raceway in Pretoria, with searing heat across both days playing a significant role on top of a tightly packed championship picture in every category.
In the GR Cup Media Challenge, SuperSport’s Nabil Abdool closed out a perfect season in the only way he knows how, sweeping both races at Zwartkops to complete an undefeated campaign – twelve wins from twelve starts across the six rounds that counted towards the 2026 championship.
Abdool qualified second, 0.334 seconds behind GR Driving Academy’s Devon Scott’s pole, before converting that into victory in Race 1, with News24 Motoring’s Craig Nicholson second in class and Brandon Jacobs (Kumbi-M on Cars / Snapchange Media) third. Race 2’s distance was then shortened to six laps, catching Abdool by surprise.
“Unbeknownst to me, the race distance had been shortened by two laps to just six laps, which threw my preservation strategy out the window,”
he said. Starting third overall behind Scott and a fast-starting Werner Horn (Malalane Toyota), Abdool again had to work for it, but secured the win to preserve his unbeaten record, with Nicholson and Jacobs again completing the podium.
“It was a superb way to close out what has become a benchmark season,”
said Abdool.
“This campaign has been exceptional, and I’m incredibly grateful to Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa for the opportunity, SuperSport for the belief, and Extreme Festival for bringing us all together.”
Justin Ford and AutoTrader’s Tayedza Mbiri filled out the midfield across both races, with The Witness and Algoa FM’s Naresh Maharaj completing the category a lap down on each occasion.
Team manager Leeroy Poulter was full of praise for the Media Challenge field.
“Nabil was impressive for me – at every race, he just gets it right,”
he said.
“Even a guy like Craig Nicholson can’t quite explain why he’s so fast this year. He’s definitely got talent there, and I believe he’s a guy who could go on to do something more in the sport further down the road.”
Zwartkops also brought the curtain down on the 2026 GR Cup Hot Seat programme, with broadcaster Kriya Gangiah completing her rescheduled Hot Seat appearance in the GR Yaris AT. Gangiah was classified sixth in Media Challenge in both races, ahead of Maharaj on each occasion.
“Driving my first competitive race was an incredible experience and one I’ll never forget,”
said Gangiah.
“There’s something very special about putting on your helmet and knowing you’re not just there to participate, you’re there to compete. Seeing the reaction from the fans – from young girls and boys watching with excitement, to older generations telling me how exciting it was to see a woman racing alongside the men – really highlighted just how much opportunity there is for women in motorsport. I hope my experience encourages more women and young girls to believe they have a place in this sport too.”
The GR Cup Dealer Challenge title was settled at the home of the GR Driving Academy itself, where Devon Scott delivered the double he needed – pole from Abdool by 0.334 seconds, and victory in both races, holding off a determined Werner Horn (Malalane Toyota) by just 0.934 seconds in Race 2. Andries de Villiers (Rola Toyota) was best of the rest, while Werner Venter (NMI Toyota Menlyn), who had led the standings for much of the year, could only manage fourth and sixth as the title slipped away.
“The initial goal was the championship, and the secondary goal was to defend our title at the home of the GR Driving Academy against Nabil – so both goals were achieved,”
said Scott.
“A huge thank you to Toyota, Dunlop and the GR Driving Academy – it’s been an amazing season.”
The standout performance of the entire weekend, however, came in the GR86 Development Academy, where Reagile “Spice” Mailula produced a dominant double victory to end his season on the highest possible note. Mailula won Race 1 by 2.187 seconds from championship leader Kobus Reyneke, with Connor Weston completing the podium in third; he then repeated the result in Race 2, crossing the line 1.923 seconds clear of Reyneke, with Weston again third.
Reyneke’s consistent second-place finishes were enough to see off Weston’s challenge and secure the GR86 Development Academy title, after the pair arrived at Zwartkops separated by just three points. Emma Dowling, Tshepang Shisinwana, Kian Fussell, Jonno Wilson and Cade Weston completed a well-contested GR86 field across both races.
Poulter was pleased with how the category developed in 2026.
“The series grew again this year – from the bottom, in the GR86 class, some new kids came in, and it was nice to see the championship go down to the final round, with the competitiveness really strong between Connor Weston and Kobus Reyneke,”
he said.
“And with one of the youngsters coming from karting, Spice, winning the last race here at Zwartkops – when at the beginning of the year he was probably two seconds off the pace – it just shows the series is working.”
TGRSA’s South African Touring Cars campaign also reached its conclusion at Zwartkops, with the team’s two GR Corolla drivers playing starring roles. Qualifying was sensationally close, with just 0.366 seconds covering the top six. Keegan Campos won Race 1 from Jason Coetzee and Michael van Rooyen, while Race 2 was thrown into chaos on the opening lap when Van Rooyen was tipped onto the grass in an incident with KC Ensor-Smith, triggering a red flag and full restart. Julian van der Watt made the clean restart count to win, with Van Rooyen recovering to second and Coetzee fourth.
“We had an incident early on, but luckily there was a red flag while I recovered,”
said Van Rooyen.
“I got another good start, went from fourth to second, and challenged Julian for the lead the whole race, but just couldn’t get past.”
Van der Watt’s result, allied to the buffer he carried into the finale, rounds off a dominant championship campaign, while Coetzee’s consistent weekend capped a strong season.
“I’m very happy with our results for the year,”
he said.
“A big thank you to Toyota, Glenn and the whole team for all their help.”
The Zwartkops finale carried extra significance for Van Rooyen, who revealed after the race that this was his final appearance for TGRSA, bringing a ten-year association with the team to a close.
“Toyota have told me, unfortunately, that this was my last race. That chapter has now come to an end,”
said Van Rooyen.
“I want to say an enormous thank you to Toyota for trusting me with their team’s car for so long, ten years I think, and to Leeroy and his team for their hard work – they were thrown in the deep end at the start of the year, and I think they did an outstanding job. I’m hugely grateful for a long and wonderful career, with plenty of both heartbreak and success along the way. Thank you to everyone who supported me, for the friendships, the laughs and everything else. I’m going to miss everyone a lot.”
With the chequered flag falling on the 2026 season, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing South Africa can reflect on a year of fierce competition, memorable performances and significant milestones across both the GR Cup and SATC championships.
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