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- The Toyota GR86 Cup resumes at Zwartkops raceway this weekend.
- The series sees six journalists compete in identical Toyota 86 racing cars.
- Instead of chasing lap times, News24 Motoring contributor Reuben van Niekerk is looking for fun this time around.
The third round of the Toyota GR86 Cup sees the series return to Zwartkops raceway, just outside Pretoria. With all drivers now comfortable in the cars after two race meetings, this will be the first time we return to a track that we have raced at before, which should bring a new dynamic.
While there are always new things to try, this weekend should be less about learning the track and the lines and more about getting the most out of the car around our now-chosen path around the short but flowing circuit. With the rainy season over for now, it should also be our first completely dry weekend.
When embarking on this year's GR86 Cup, I put a lot of pressure on myself. For any lifelong motorsport fan, it is the opportunity of a lifetime, and I wanted to prove to myself and the industry that I deserved to be in the seat.
WATCH | Riding with Reubs: Getting a bit too racy at Killarney in the Toyota GR86 Cup
I was doing everything I could to learn and be the best I could be. I was studying in-car footage of other drivers and my own and poring over data, looking for time, but for some reason, I found myself slightly off the pace with the best qualifying of fourth, in the wet, to date.
When I found myself in podium contention in Cape Town after some racy moves early on, I used every trick in the book and more to defend my position, much to the dismay of my fellow drivers and some social media critics. The result was that I was not enjoying the whole experience at all, which is a great pity.
It has been seven weeks since our last race, which in motorsport terms feels like a lifetime. I didn't spend the time reviewing footage and data or getting in practice laps. Instead, I went to the gym, rode my mountain bike and even completed the Sani2c three-day mountain bike stage race.
This time away from the track allowed me to reflect on how the series has played out so far and decide on my strategy going forward. Participating in the Toyota GR Cup really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and while I would like to do well, the results are unimportant. What is important is that I have fun and enjoy myself.
For this coming weekend, my strategy is simple: I will just try and have as much fun as possible, not worry about the result and savour the opportunity of competing in motorsport at a national level in a real sports car.
