Climbing into a racecar for the first time on race day is never a good idea. It's always best to punch out a few laps ahead of the time to familiarize yourself with the car's capabilities. I was fortunate enough to be able to get such an opportunity in the days leading up to the first race.
As we go behind the scenes of this practice day, I’ll introduce you to the motley crew of media personalities that will be participating alongside me in identical Toyota GR86s. This merry bunch has been around the motoring media block more than a few times but only a select few have any prior racing experience… and I’m not one of them. You’ll meet Reuben van Niekerk (Jumping Kids), Brendon Staniforth (Maroela Media), Mark Jones (The Citizen), Denis Droppa (TimesLIVE), and Setshaba Mashigo (ASAMM).
You’ll also see the cars decked out in their racing livery before we head out on track to see what the cars can do. At this stage, the cars haven’t received their big brake upgrade and the track is still a little damp from an earlier thundershower.
I’ll also take you behind the scenes even further to show you how I’m preparing for the 2023 season.
Keyword: AutoTrader Goes Racing | Episode 3 - a proper shakedown