Van Rooyen Ready for Killarney Return

Michael van Rooyen will return to Killarney International Raceway next weekend as the South African Touring Cars Championship heads back to the Cape for the penultimate round of the 2026 season.

The Toyota GAZOO Racing South Africa driver returns to the venue where the championship began in March, but with a considerably better understanding of his Toyota after a season of steady development. With five rounds now completed, Van Rooyen and the team have continued to refine the package, making the return visit to Killarney an important opportunity to measure just how far they have progressed.

Van Rooyen heads into Round 6 fourth in the championship on 91 points. He is only two points behind Jason Coetzee in third and 10 behind second-placed Klayden Ensor-Smith, while championship leader Julian van der Watt sits on 125 points.

With Killarney followed only by the Zwartkops finale in October, every point becomes increasingly important as Van Rooyen looks to strengthen his championship position and continue his pursuit of a first victory of the season.

The reigning champion has again demonstrated consistency throughout 2026, although a race victory has so far remained elusive. His campaign has nevertheless gathered momentum as the year has progressed, with the team steadily improving the Toyota and Van Rooyen regularly placing himself in contention at the front.

Returning to a circuit already visited this season provides a different challenge. Rather than arriving with limited information, the team now has data from the opening round to work from, as well as several months of development and experience gained at Red Star Raceway, Zwartkops and Aldo Scribante Raceway.

Killarney's combination of heavy braking zones, fast corners and the long back straight places a premium on confidence and a well-balanced car, making Friday's practice and qualifying sessions particularly important before Saturday's two races.

For Van Rooyen, however, the immediate target remains straightforward: put together a clean weekend, maximise every opportunity and challenge for the victory that has narrowly escaped him thus far.

“Going back to Killarney gives us a good opportunity to see how much progress we have made since the first round. The car has improved throughout the season, and we now have data from Killarney as well as everything we have learned over the last few events. That should give us a much stronger starting point. We are getting closer, and with only two rounds remaining, the goal is to put ourselves in a position to fight at the front and hopefully get that first win.”

The Killarney round takes place on 18–19 September, with practice and qualifying on Friday before the two championship races on Saturday.