Championships all round in Toyota Gazoo Racing Week 49
Toyota has claimed two more major titles in another great motor sporting weekend. In a dramatic Gazoo Racing Week 49 of 2021, Toyota stole the Japanese Super GT title from Honda in a perfect day at the company’s Fuji home track. A Toyota crew also wrapped up yet another South African Rally Championship with a dominant double win in Mpumalanga. Those crowns add to Gazoo Toyota’s ’21 World Endurance, Rally and Rally Raid, and SA Cross Country titles.
Title Theft in Japan!
TOM’s duo Yuhi Sekiguchi and Sho Tsuboi led a Toyota Supra top-5 clean sweep to steal the 2021 Japan Super GT title for Toyota in a dramatic Fuji finale. Johan Kristoffersson took his fourth World Rallycross title on a count-back over Timmy Hansen. They followed Kevin Hansen’s Peugeot home. Yann Ehrlacher’s Lynk & Co however took an easier second World Touring Car title in Russia. Cupra duo Mikel Azcona and Rob Huff won the Sochi races.
Closer to home, Toyota Yaris privateers Theuns Joubert and Schalk van Heerden dominated the Dullstroom SA Rally double header final to wrap up the ’21 title. They beat NRC2 winners Nico and Gert Nienaber’s Etios and Chris Coertze and Greg Godrich in a Hyundai both days. Fourth on Saturday, 17-year old Jayden Els and Armand du Toit wrapped up the NRC2 title in their Polo.
Back on the subcontinent, South African International extreme enduro riders dominated the Lesotho Roof of Africa. Sherco man Wade Young won again from GasGas duo Travis Teasdale and Matt Green. Eben Basson and Leander Pienaar’s Red-Lined VK56 crowned an epic rookie year with a TIORC Molopo 600 double win. Track racer Johan de Bruyn was second in his VK56 Off Road debut on Friday. Hennie de Kerk was second in his Dakar Amarokon Saturday.
Historic WEEK 49 Results at Red Star
Returning to the racetrack, Peter Bailey won the first Historic Racing SA heat at Red Star in his Porsche before George Avvakaimides took charge of a thunderstorm hit second heat in his similar car. Bailey still won the overall Pre-90 Sports & GT title while Sean Hepburn’s Datsun took the Pre-80 Saloon Car championship. Andre Dannhauser’s Kadett and Althea Pretorius’ Exa shared the Pursuit Series wins, while Wynand du Plessis Sr. clinched that title in his Porsche.
Dawie van der Merwe and Rory Atkinson shared the VW Challenge wins after both chaotic races were red flagged. Leyton Fourie won both B races and Pierluigi Muzzulini and Reno van Heerden shared the Class C wins. Atkinson, Fourie and Muzzulini are provisionally the champions, while Jeffrey Kruger wrapped up his fifth Lotus Challenge title with yet another strong showing at Red Star.
