Andrew Rackstraw is set to take on his last race weekend in the RDSA Audi S3 GTC car this coming weekend at Zwartkops Raceway.
Rumour has it he will be in a brand new car for next season, which will give him a better chance to fight at the front end.
It’s a mixed bag of emotions for the young Cape Town driver who has shared both admiration and frustration with the current car he is in. But nevertheless, he is excited to go into the last race weekend of his rookie year in the Global Touring Car Championship.
Let’s take a sneak peek into the weekend ahead and crunch some numbers to have a look at his rookie year overall.
ZWARTKOPS AWAITS
It is the second time we will be visiting this popular circuit situated near Pretoria. A return is always good as Rackstraw will have kept the previous experience fresh in the back of his mind. If we cast back to the last time they raced there, Rackstraw found himself in a fairly competitive situation considering his shocks were very much in need of a reconditioning.
Race 1 was going well until he got tagged from behind which sent him down the order and out of any real contention.
In the 2nd race he was given reverse grid pole position and he held onto the lead of the race for some time, before he was barged off the track. There were glimpses of great potential and Rackstraw will be hoping he can tap into those moments to pull a result out of the bag.
With only 1 podium finish out of 7 rounds so far he will be keen to grab another one, especially on his rivals home territory.
Overall it’s been a pretty successful first season and when given the chance Rackstraw has gone toe to toe with some of the best drivers in the country. Currently P7 in the championship on 94 points, there is still the potential to finish in the top 5 but he will need some serious points in order to do that.
If the reliability issues stay away he could very well find himself in a podium spot, but it is also a very important weekend for the team as they could wrap up their 2nd GTC title in a row so they will be hoping the Audi S3 is on top form to play the team game.
Off to the undulating 2.4km circuit, we go!
ANDREW’S THOUGHTS
“This year has been a great learning curve transitioning from single seaters to tin tops.”
“I have thoroughly enjoyed the process which has been a dream come true. The team and I are confident we have a great base to work from for next year in a competitive car and I can’t wait to experience that.”
“This weekend will be more of the same, trying to absorb and learn as much as possible, all while trying to extract as much as possible from the old girl.”
“It will be my last race in the Audi, which fills me with both sadness and excitement.”
“A huge word of thanks needs to go to the people and brands that continue to support my racing. Sparco, Investchem, Ravenol, RaceBook, RDSA, and of course my family.”
“I’m looking forward to this next chapter, but first, as a team, we look forward to trying to wrap up the championship to secure their 2nd GTC championship back to back.”
“It’s going to be an exciting weekend and action-packed without a doubt. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to see the GTC cars battle it out one more time in 2022.”
Get your tickets and don’t forget to come to visit the WCT Team Pit and meet our very own Andrew Rackstraw. For more updates head over to his website and keep in touch with his social media pages.
Travel safely and enjoy the racing!
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