Podium results at Global Touring Cars

THE Inaugural Sasol Global Touring Cars – GTC, was held on Tuesday, August 9, at Zwartskops Raceway in front of a sold out crowd.

Strong competition came from the Volkswagen entries when they showed their finesse on the track. With podium finishes for all four entries, the scene is set for a titanic battle going forward.

Leading the Sasol GTC from start to finish was Michael Stephen – Engen Extreme Audi A3, follwed by Mathew Hodges in his VW Motorsport Jetta.

Qualifying saw Mathew Hodges put the Volkswagen Jetta GTC into second spot by just 0.244 of a second behind the Audi A3 of Michael Stephen. In the GTC Production category, Daniel Rowe was in second place with his Volkswagen Golf GTI by an even narrower margin – 0.061 of a second, with Mandla Mdakane in the second Volkswagen Golf GTI close on his heels with the third-quickest qualifying time.

With a second-place grid start for the first race, Hodges made no mistakes and kept it smooth throughout the 14 lap event to power the Volkswagen Jetta GTC to second – and the first of the podium results for Volkswagen Motorsport. Rowe and Mdakane made sure to turn their second and third-place qualifying results into the same positions at the chequered flag for two more podium finishes.

For Mdakane it was also a good day at the office in his Volkswagen Golf GTI in the GTC Production category.

Race two saw Graeme Nathan race home for second place in his Volkswagen Jetta GTC and Rowe won the second race in the GTC Production category.

Nathan could hardly be happier with his Volkswagen Jetta GTC and has high hopes for the rest of the season.

The next Sasol GTC challenge will be held at Aldo Scribante Raceway in Port Elizabeth on Saturday, September 10. This will be round two of the Sasol GTC Africa series and, with a six-round championship this year, will play an important role in the outcome for any championship hopeful.