Hot off of an impressive debut season, CAR Magazine will be returning to the Toyota GR Cup for 2025 with road test editor Kyle Kock set to pilot the all-new GR Yaris.
Looking for a new or used Omoda? Find it here with CARmag!
The first season of the GR Cup jointly debuted the nimble all-wheel drive GR Yaris in 2022. Following this, the rear-wheel-driven GR86 was used and in 2024 a fleet of GR Corollas served as the challengers for the media contingent. Each of these seasons served as the premier platform for competitive racing in near-production Toyota performance vehicles. The 2025 season will once again push drivers to their limits across some of South Africa’s most iconic circuits.
Related: Five Key Takeaways for SA at Toyota’s SOMI Conference
In 2025, the GR Cup Media Challenge will shift from the GR Corolla to the GR Yaris, enhancing the challenge for the country’s top motoring journalists. Meanwhile, the GR Cup Dealer Challenge will shift to the GR Corolla, ensuring another engaging season of competition among Toyota South Africa’s GR-focused dealer network. Adding further excitement to the 2025 season, the GR86 Development Academy will once again form part of the GR Cup structure, offering up-and-coming drivers a chance to showcase their skills in a competitive environment. The Academy’s driver lineup will be announced at a later stage.
Toyota GR Cup Competitors
Like all previous seasons, the Media Challenge welcomes a fresh lineup of experienced motoring journalists, each representing some of the country’s leading automotive publications. The six media competitors who will take to the track in the GR Yaris are:
- Kyle Kock (CAR Magazine)
- Willem van de Putte (Independent Media/IOL)
- Charl Bosch (Citizen)
- Lawrence Minnie (Auto Trader)
- Phuti Mpyane (TimesLive)
- Nabil Abdool (SuperSport)
Our road test editor Kyle Kock will take the baton from digital editor Alex Shahini, who placed second in his debut season for CAR Magazine in 2024. The experienced Kock mentions this will be an exciting chapter in his long and illustrious motoring career.
“I have driven very expensive vehicles and some of the most powerful ever offered locally but all have been restricted to on-road testing and enthusiastic driving on mountain passes so I am looking forward to what my many years of Gran Turismo simulator driving is going to result in around the circuits of South Africa.” said Kock.
Related: Understanding The Toyota Hilux GR-S III’s Trick Suspension
Returning to the grid, now in the GR Corolla, the Dealer Challenge will once again see Toyota’s top dealerships battling for top honours. This year’s lineup features familiar names, with several teams opting for a shared drive strategy. The 2025 GR Cup Dealer Challenge competitors are:
- Werner Venter & Theo Brits (sharing the NMI Menlyn/Centurion car)
- Mario de Sousa (Motus)
- Paul de Vos & Devon Scott (sharing the GR Driving Academy car)
- Johan Boonzaaier & Rudi Boonzaaier (sharing the Waterberg Toyota car)
- Kevin Crowie & Tiaan Combrink (Halfway Toyota)
- Marius Claasen & Andries de Villiers (sharing the Rola Motors car)
The first event of the season is set to take place at the Mother City’s Killarney International Raceway on 8 March, where the new lineup of drivers will take to the track for the first time in their respective categories. Kyle’s progress going from test driver to racing driver through the season will be documented across both CAR Magazine and the CARmag website and social media channels.
Click here and browse thousands of new and used vehicles here with CARmag!
