What GTC SupaCup Round 5 Preview
Where East London Grand Prix Circuit
When Saturday 22 July 2023
Community South Africa National
Leader Campos aims to stave off another Liebenberg challenge
It’s Border warfare, as the GTC SupaCup heads to the East London Grand Prix Circuit National Extreme Festival to start the second half of its season on Saturday 22 July. Local race fans should expect fireworks, with the championship leader keen to consolidate a great last weekend out, and his challenger committed to close that gap.
Keegan Campos has led the GTC SupaCup championship chase from the outset in his Veloce Cars Carello Auto SupaPolo, but title rival Bradley Liebenberg turned the tables to dominate the second and third rounds after a disastrous start in his Hype Energy machine. Campos was under pressure before the previous races at Gqeberha’s Aldo Scribante, but Keegan dominated that weekend to reverse the trend over Bradley. All of which makes for a key battleground at the Border racetrack next week, as Campos arrives with a fifteen point advantage over Liebenberg.
Neither driver can afford to err, however. Volkswagen factory pilot Jonathan Mogotsi has enjoyed a most consistent SupaCup season so far, finishing on the podium or thereabouts every race. He may not have won a 2023 race yet, but Jonathan certainly is close enough to pick up any pieces, should either or both of his rivals find any form of trouble in the forthcoming races. Arnold Neveling finds himself in championship no-man’s land in fourth, ahead of Cape Town rookie Tate Bishop’s Angri LTR car, also a lonely fifth.
Vereeniging racer Arnold Neveling made a late GTC SupaCup start in his Goscor Stradale, but he has already surged to fourth in the title chase, and he too, is chasing a first win in 2023. Other SupaCup heroes to keep an eye on include JP van der Walt’s Platinum Wheels machine and Polo Cup lady graduate Kara Hill’s Kalex version. Cape Town driver Danie van Niekerk leads the SupaCup Masters chase and he will be looking for another good points haul in East London aboard his Titan Stunts Polo. His main opposition comes from Scottish visitor Paul Luti, who will be back in his Finishline UK SupaPolo, while there have been stories out of Gqeberha regarding the return of Masters Champion Nick Davidson.
That GTC SupaCup form book should start returning to normal, following a little shake up when the series switched to Dunlop Direzza semi-slick tyres for the first time at the previous Aldo Scribante meeting. All of which should make for another most intriguing conflict at the Border Region, when GTC SupaCup races at the East London Grand Prix Circuit’s National Extreme Festival on Saturday 22 July.
*Volkswagen Motorsport thanks its partners CompCare Medical Scheme, Dunlop SportMaxx, Motul, Sparco and VW Genuine Parts.
Issued on behalf of Volkswagen Motorsport
Photography by: Andre Laubscher
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