Defending South African Touring Cars (SATC) champion Michael van Rooyen endured a difficult start to his 2026 title defence at the season-opening round at Killarney International Raceway, battling a persistent braking issue throughout the weekend.
From the outset, the Rustenburg Rocket struggled to extract the full potential from his Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa (TGRSA) Corolla, with the braking problem hampering performance during practice sessions. Despite the team working tirelessly to resolve the issue, the problem persisted into qualifying, limiting Van Rooyen to fifth place on the grid.
The 2026 season also introduced a significant procedural change, with SATC management opting for standing starts instead of the traditional rolling starts. Van Rooyen made a strong getaway when the lights went out for Race 1, but had to take evasive action to avoid a slow-starting pole sitter ahead of him. Still unable to fully commit under braking, the defending champion fought hard to bring the car home in fourth place.
Race 2 featured an inverted grid, placing the TGRSA driver on the front row. However, the braking issue became even more pronounced in the second race, with Van Rooyen repeatedly locking up under braking while trying to maintain track position. Unable to attack the braking zones with confidence, he ultimately crossed the line in fifth place.
While the results were not what he had hoped for, Van Rooyen ensured valuable championship points were secured during a challenging opening weekend.
“It’s definitely not the start to the title defence that I would have liked,” said Van Rooyen. “The braking issue made the entire weekend very frustrating because I simply couldn’t attack the braking zones the way you need to in this championship. The team worked incredibly hard to try and solve the problem, but unfortunately it continued throughout the weekend. At that point, the focus had to shift to scoring as many points as possible and limiting the damage. We’ll take what we learned here and focus on the next round where I’m confident the team will get the issue sorted.”
Van Rooyen also extended his appreciation to those behind him as the season gets underway.
“A big thank you to Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa, OMP Racing and everyone involved for the continued support. We’ll regroup, come back stronger, and aim to be back where we belong at the front.”
With the opening round now behind him, Van Rooyen will look ahead to the next round of the championship determined to return to form once the braking issue is resolved. Round 2 is scheduled to take place at Red Star Raceway, near Delmas, Mpumalanga on 17-18 April.
To stay up to date with Michael’s progress, follow his social media handles below:
https://web.facebook.com/MVRRacing
https://www.instagram.com/mvr_racing_official/
Published by: Raymond Cornwell
Picture Caption: Michael van Rooyen
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