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BORN ON THE TRACK
Follow Mark Jones and TGRSA through a full national season — rally stages, GR Cup battles and the machines that make it possible. New chapters every month, July to October.
the NRC hot seat
Follow Mark Jones as he takes on the challenges, excitement, and adrenaline of the National Rally Championship season.
We are back in the game
I know I am not Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa’s next Dakar prodigy. Just as I know that the World Rally Championship spotters are not coming to check me out at local rallies.
The basic brief for this year has been to get as much mileage as you can out of your Toyota GR Yaris and assist the TGRSA team in gathering vital knowledge that will be used on the cars they are planning to build for next year.
And while Toyota SA have no expectations of me bringing home a championship title, I do feel like I have a job to do, and I don’t want to be the guy that didn’t get it done.
Time to have some fun!
My year so far in the South African National Rally Championship has taught me so much more than circuit racing did when it comes to the mental toughness one needs in this sport.
Harsh lessons being learnt
Last week I was on about of how not finishing the Ermelo Rally was not up for debate after the disappointment of retiring from the GR Legends Rally. And how important this would be for our season heading into to Round 6 and 7 at the Algoa Rally in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth).
VODCAST: Toyota Gazoo Racing's young stars set their sights on Dakar glory
Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa's rising off-road talents, Saood Variawa and Sa’aad Variawa, have their sights firmly set on the Dakar Rally as they continue to build experience both locally and internationally.
The man in the hot seat
“There is no run-off in rally. There are no second chances.”
Born to parents that built and raced modified saloons in the 70’s. And growing up studying every road test published in Car Magazine. Mark was determined to live every little boy’s dream. And that was to drive cool cars. In 2000, he walked of the comfort of corporate office; grabbed a pen and a stopwatch; and hit the road to making this dream come true.
After several years of slogging his way up from the bottom and getting up to speed with what this entailed, he joined The Citizen Motoring team in 2007 as a dedicated motoring road tester. Since then, he has covered the globe extensively driving and testing the latest machinery on offer, while continuing to hone his writing skills.
This journey has also opened the door to the exciting world of motorsport. He has involved himself all sorts of racing on two wheels and four over the years. from endurance events to hill climbs, to being a regional race car champion, and a South African Land Speed record holder, he has had a go at it. And For 2026 he finds himself in the wild world of National Rally for the first time in a wild Toyota Gazoo Racing GR Yaris.
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