This past weekend (June 16-17), rookie Tate Bishop performed admirably at Round 4 of the 2023 Global Touring Cars (GTC) SupaCup hosted at the Aldo Scribante Racetrack, earning valuable championship points during both races held on Saturday.
The newcomer for the 2023 season had a good practice day and placed fifth in the morning’s qualifying session with a time just slightly over 0.3 seconds slower than the Dunlop Pole Position time.
During Race 1, he held his position in his ANGRi Racing Volkswagen Polo SupaCup without any passes being made. In the second race, he overtook Jean-Pierre van der Walt on the first lap and finished in fifth place behind Arnold Neveling.
Already the highest-ranked rookie on the points table, the CompCare Polo Cup graduate’s performance looks even more significant when considering the level of competition in the class. Ahead of him, Keegan Campos, a seasoned campaigner in various national saloon car and single-seater categories, won the race. Double GTC SupaCup champion Brad Liebenberg, who also has a GTC2 and Polo Cup title to his name, and who competed in the GTC Championship in 2022, finished second. Jonathan Mogotsi, Volkswagen Motorsport’s factory driver with a stint in the GTC Championship, and Arnold Neveling, a seasoned campaigner in local and international motorsport, also finished ahead of him.
Bishop, a Sparco brand ambassador, who was still to make his circuit debut when the GTC SupaCup started, already beat a host of remarkable drivers. Danie van Niekerk is a veteran of the sport with many Western Cape titles to his name. Paul Luti from Scotland competed against some of the best in Europe. Karah Hill has tasted success in endurance racing, while Jean-Pierre van der Walt is a three-time Simola King of the Hill champion.
“It was a superb weekend for us against top-class competition on a circuit that did not provide many opportunities,” said Bishop. “Our qualifying session proved that the move to the Dunlop Direzza semi-slick tyres brought everyone closer, but there sadly were not many chances to make a pass. We took home some good points and managed to pull off a weekend without any mechanical issues, so we are heading in the right direction.”
Round 5 of the 2023 GTC SupaCup will be held at the East London Grand Prix Circuit on 21-22 July.
Published by: Motorsport Fanatix
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