It’s also the first racecar to be rendered from the new GTI. In the world
Last week, Volkswagen Motorsport SA had the audacity to reveal its new 2020 racing car set to compete in the Global Touring Cars (GTC) championship. Yes, the world’s first VW-built Golf 8 GTI racecar was made right here in SA, what do you reckon? For the last four years, VW Motorsport has been racing with a Jetta, the three-box saloon sibling to the Golf hatch. The Jetta has since been discontinued in right-hand drive markets so the team had to find a worthy successor. Enter the Golf 8 GTI race. Now look, the Golf 8 GTI will only be officially launched and available from SA dealers in 2021, but that didn’t stop the team wanted to use this opportunity to showcase the Golf 8 GTI’s performance attributes ahead of the local market introduction. What do you think of the new VW Golf GTI race car?
Martina Biene, Head of the Volkswagen Brand says “for the past four years we have been racing with the Jetta. Since the Jetta is no longer offered in right-hand drive markets, we had to find an appropriate successor and that is where the idea to use the Golf 8 GTI came from. Even though the Golf 8 GTI will only be officially launched and available from South African dealers in 2021, we wanted to use this opportunity to showcase the Golf 8 GTI’s performance attributes ahead of the local market introduction.”
Global Touring Cars (GTC), launched in South Africa in 2016, is the premier motorsport championship in South Africa and includes the main GTC Championship (GTC1) as well as the second-tier class, GTC2.