Toyota Gazoo Racing SA expands team line-up

Autodealer joined Toyota South Africa for a live online presentation late last week where the brand announced its updated pricing and also included information surrounding its Toyota Gazoo Racing SA activities which includes Cross Country, Rally and Circuit racing disciplines.

The latter discipline has been running for a season, but with just one driver, Michael van Rooyen in Global Touring Cars series. The brand has announced that Mandla Mdakane will be the second member of its Global Touring Cars (GTC) squad in 2020. Mdakane will be partnering van Rooyen in a second GTC Toyota Corolla, which now resembles the new Corolla Sedan.

The Mdakane name has become synonymous with track racing in South Africa, with Mandla following in the footsteps of his father, Hamilton. The Johannesburg native has been racing since the age of four, and having started in karts, worked his way up through the ranks.

Mdakane is still a young man, having been born in 1993. From a young age, he was naturally drawn to the race track, thanks to the exploits of his father. The younger Mdakane, however, quickly excelled at his craft, making his mark on the local circuit before making the move to Asia in order to race in the 2013 AsiaCup Series. This was followed by a stint in the Formula Masters China Series, during which Mdakane had the opportunity to race on world-renowned circuits such as Sepang and Shangai.

With Mdakane joining the fray in the top flight of South African track racing, the Toyota team will be hoping for a competitive outing when this year’s championship eventually gets underway.