It was a challenging weekend for Jean-Pierre van der Walt that saw the Johannesburg businessman’s races ruined by penalties as Round 4 of the 2023 Global Touring Cars (GTC) SupaCup concluded the first half of the season at Aldo Scribante Racetrack.
The Platinum Wheels Volkswagen Polo SupaCup driver had a successful run leading up to the qualifying session on Saturday morning, achieving the sixth-fastest time in a highly competitive session.
During Race 1, he managed to gain a position at the start and secured fifth place until the end. Unfortunately, he received a penalty for violating the Push-to-Pass rule, causing him to drop to seventh place. In Race 2, there were few passing opportunities, and Van der Walt lost out to Tate Bishop and Danie van Niekerk at the start. To make matters worse, he was disqualified due to being underweight at the scales, resulting in his exclusion from the final results.
“It was a disappointing weekend, to say the least,” said Van der Walt. “It’s a shame that despite our good pace throughout the weekend and my confidence in the car, we made mistakes that we must acknowledge and move on from. However, there were some positives to take away, such as the absence of any mechanical issues and the car’s reliability, which we can use as a foundation for the next round in East London.”
The next championship round resumes at the East London Grand Prix Circuit on 21-22 July.
Published by: Motorsport Fanatix
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