Robert Wolk has won the 2022 South African Global Touring Car Championship, driving his Chemical Logistics Racing Toyota Corolla GTC. Still, despite an appeal windfall on the eve of the races, Wolk had to dodge a series of obstacles en route to his second South African Drivers Championship in as many years.
Things took a turn for the good before the action even started when news broke that a Motorsport South Africa Court of Appeal had unanimously found various penalties applied to championship leader Wolk on earlier in the season to be draconian. Wolk was handed back most of the points deducted by those officials.
Wolk was delighted with the outcome. “Finally, we won this case!” Wolk confirmed
“While that made it an even easier task to take the title with us 38 ahead and 43 points on offer, the final outcome is also far more representative of our season and there would be no doubts after the race with no appeals still to be decided.”
All of which meant that Wolk arrived in Pretoria even closer to a back-to-back South African Global Touring Car title. He needed only finish the first race to clinch the title, no matter what else went down on Saturday.
Still, the championship was not a foregone conclusion and the weekend certainly had its challenges as Wolk drove home third in the first race to clinch the title with the final race still to run.
“Our objective was to take the pressure off and wrap up the championship in race 1, which almost ended before it had begun,” Wolk explained.
“I ended up taking avoiding action on the first lap, but we managed to scratch out a third place and took the bonus point for the fastest lap too.
“That was enough for us to secure back to back GTC titles. Unfortunately, race 2 did not start too well either and I yet again ended up getting tagged on the rear left into turn 1. That compromised my Corolla’s handling, so I just settled for the finish and enjoyed the championship spoils after.
“Overall, 2022 was another great season for the team and me, made possible through the continued support of Ian Schofield. “Thank you Ian, Stuart, and the entire team – we are double GTC champions!”
It was another good weekend for rookie Andrew Rackstraw in his final outing in the team’s older specification Investchem RDSA Audi S3 GTC.
“We made lots of progress heading into the final round, but race day once again never quite went our way with a few issues on the car,” Rackstraw pointed out.
“We nevertheless maximised on what we could do, stayed out of trouble and it all paid off with third overall.
“That’s a great way to say goodbye to my faithful former multiple championship winning Audi that so many people love.
“Now I look forward to next year with a brand new car! “Thank you to all my sponsors, Investchem, Sparco, Ravenol, Simgrid, RaceBook and most importantly to my family for the continuous support.
It was a rollercoaster weekend for Julian van der Watt and his Chemical Logistics Ford Focus RS GTC.
“We finally got the car where we wanted it for qualifying and I lined up second on the grid,” Van der Watt recalled.
“Unfortunately that only lasted until turn 2 and my race ended with my Focus stuck in the sand trap and me watching the race from the sidelines.
“Race 2 went far better. I made a good start to jump from seventh to fourth and then the race leader fell off. So, I was up to third and just kept my head down and brought it home to end the season on a bit of a high after a disappointing few races.
“Thanks to Ian, Stuart and the team, my family and my supporters. We plan to come back stronger than ever next year!”
“That’s mission accomplished,” Chemical Logistics Racing’s WCT engineering team manager, Stuart Thompson, wrapped it up.
“We came looking for a back-to-back title for Robbie and good results for all three cars and we pulled it all off. “Now just watch this space – Chemical Logistics Racing has some most exciting GTC tricks up its sleeve!
“Congratulations to Rob, to Stuart, and the entire team on a job brilliantly done,” team boss, Ian Schofield concluded.
“It had its challenges, but 2022 was a vintage Global Touring Car year for Chemical Logistics Racing.
“Now, watch this space! See you next year – well done team!”
Source: MotorsportMedia
Photos: Abri De Bruyn / Willie Pretorius
