Scribante Setup Struggles Stall van der Merwe’s SupaCup Progress

Round 3 of the South African Touring Cars (SATC) SupaCup ended on Saturday with Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa's (TGRSA) sole entry, Dawie van der Merwe, finishing seventh overall after two challenging races at the Aldo Scribante Race Track, Gqeberha.

Despite spending all of Friday setting up the car for Saturday’s qualifying, it was not where Dawie wanted it to be. The team, however, did their best to provide Dawie with the most balanced setup for the 2,4km Eastern Cape circuit. Dawie eventually qualified in sixth, despite all the struggles.

In an uneventful opening race, the former GR86 Cup Champion could not make up any positions, crossing the finish line in sixth. Race 2 would be more challenging, with Dawie struggling with understeer after colliding with another competitor early in the race. The young Mbombela businessman pushed through, spending much of the race fending off his challengers. When the chequered flag dropped, the SupaStarlet driver finished eighth.

“We threw everything at it on Friday, but come race day, the car just didn’t respond the way we’d hoped,” Dawie admitted. “I had to fight hard in both races, especially the second one where I picked up some damage after an incident. It was then all about salvaging points and learning from the experience.”

Dawie returns for the fourth round on 20-21 June when the Extreme Festival presented by Coca Cola makes its first of two visits to the Zwartkops Raceway near Pretoria.