Defending Champion Van Rooyen Back on the Podium at Zwartkops
Michael van Rooyen bounced back from a challenging previous outing to secure his first podium finish of the season in Round 3 of the South African Touring Cars Championship at Zwartkops Raceway on Saturday.
The defending champion arrived at the 2.4km Pretoria circuit following a difficult start to his season, where a few issues had hampered his overall performance. With several changes made to the car ahead of the Zwartkops weekend, Van Rooyen and the team were confident of taking a step forward as the National Extreme Festival delivered another exciting round of racing.
The weekend started on a positive note for the “Rustenburg Rocket”, who showed encouraging pace during the opening practice sessions. However, the final practice run saw the team lose ground to the frontrunners after setup changes took them in the wrong direction. With valuable data gathered, the team reverted to the previous setup for Saturday’s qualifying session, allowing Van Rooyen to regain his rhythm and secure fourth on the grid, just three-tenths of a second off pole position.
When the lights went out for the opening race, Van Rooyen immediately showed the determination that has made him one of the championship’s standout competitors. A strong start saw him get his nose in front on the opening lap as he challenged for the lead, before settling into second position. From there, he maintained his composure and brought the car home to claim a valuable second-place finish — his first podium result of the 2026 season.
Race 2 presented a different challenge, with the usual inverted grid for the top six placing Van Rooyen fifth for the start. While the opening race had shown strong pace and balance, the second encounter proved more difficult as Van Rooyen struggled to find the same level of grip. Despite a red-flag interruption and subsequent restart, he was unable to make a meaningful impression on the cars ahead and ultimately crossed the line in sixth.
Although the final result of Race 2 did not reflect the pace shown earlier in the day, the Zwartkops weekend still marked an important step forward for Van Rooyen and the team. After a difficult start to his title defence, the podium finish in Race 1 provided a timely boost and confirmed that progress is being made as the championship heads into the remaining rounds.
For Van Rooyen, the weekend was another example of resilience, hard work and determination, with the defending champion once again proving that he remains a force to be reckoned with in the South African Touring Cars Championship.
