Mark Cronje to leave Castrol
2010-09-03 11:42
Toyota Motorsport driver and multiple rally champion Mark Cronjé has quit the Castrol Toyota team to pursue his growing business interests. He left at the end of August.
“It was a very difficult decision for me but, in the interest of my growing kitchen construction business, I decided to take a sabbatical from racing to concentrate all my efforts on the business,” Cronjé explained.
He's a multiple karting and track champion, joined the Toyota development team in 1996 and won the Production Car Class E title and Rookie of the Year award. In 1999 he raced a Toyota Tazz in Class D.
He was introduced to off-road racing with the Castrol Toyota squad in 2003 and began earning his wings in rallying in 2006. He was the South African off-road Class E champion in 2005 and the National rally champion in class A6 in 2006 and Class A7 in 2007.
Since 2006 he's raced in the top S2000 rally and SP off-road classes and during this time won three National rallies and one off-road event.
His business concern led to his decision to quit the National Off-Road series two years ago.
“I'm very sad to leave at this vital point in the season but have done so in the interest of the team. I hope it will allow Toyota Motorsport enough time to find a replacement and get him accustomed to the Auris S2000 so he can be a serious championship contender for next year,” Cronjé added.
'We respect his decision'
Toyota Motorsport team manager Glyn Hall said although Mark’s decision was unexpected, he fully understood the reasons. “Mark has been associated with Toyota since his teens and has been a stalwart in the team for nearly two decades.
“It's very difficult to simultaneously manage a growing business and a racing career and Mark took a long-term view on his future. We respect his decision and would like to thank him for his invaluable contribution over the years.”
Cronje’s decision will not affect his co-driver, Robert Paisley. The new driver will be named before the Cape Swartland Rally that will start on September 17.
