Bradley wraps up third SupaCup championship in four years

Bradley Liebenberg wrapped the 2023 South African GTC SupaCup Championship, up in style with two wins off pole position at a dramatic Zwartkops Extreme Festival finale on Saturday.

It is Liebenberg’s third GTC SupaCup title in four years on top of a Polo Cup and a GTC2 championship apiece. Title rival Jonathan Mogotsi could only watch as he did his best to keep pace with his friend and rival, as he took two second places en route to second in the championship.

In probably the last GTC SupaCup meeting to run as an all Volkswagen SupaPolo affair, Liebenberg’s Hype Energy Drinks Sparco Nathans version arrived at Zwartkops with a ten-point championship advantage over title rival, Volkswagen Motorsport driver Mogotsi. The two had scored identical points over the past four races, but it was Liebenberg who stole pole position by a couple of tenths from Mogotsi on Saturday morning.

Third in the title chase Arnold Neveling and his Goscor Lift Trucks Stradale Motors was still in with an outside championship chance, but that was fleeting quickly as he ended third on the grid ahead of his closest championship challenger, Cape rookie Tate Bishop and his Angri Racing Academy LTR SupaPolo.

Karah Hill showed good pace at home to grid her Kalex car fifth from David Franco’s Graphix Supply World version and returning Prefect Circle Masters driver Andre Bezuidenhout. Masters champion Danie van Niekerk, debutant Nicolas Vostanis and Roberto Franco rounded off the grid.

The first few laps were fraught, with much contact and paint swapping among the top few as Liebenberg fought Mogotsi, Neveling and Bishop off. The drama escalated as GTC frontrunner Robert Wolk momentarily joined the party as he fought back from an off. Wolk dived inside Mogotsi, who was already inside of the attacking Neveling, and three into two just never went.

The upshot of that was that Liebenberg broke away as things settled down behind and went on to win by three seconds over Mogotsi. That left Liebenberg needing just a handful of points in the final to clinch the title. Arnold Neveling fought his way through the commotion to end third from Tate Bishop, Karah Hill, David Franco, Danie van Niekerk, Andre Bezuidenhout, Roberto Franco, and Nicolas Vostanis. All Karah Hill and David Franco’s hard work however came to nought when both were excluded after proving underweight on the post-race scales.

Not a driver to just follow his rival home to take a title, Bradley Liebenberg commanded the final race of the season from the front to wrap up his third GTC SupaCup championship in four years. Jonathan Mogotsi could only watch as his pal wrapped it up, while Tate Bishop was delighted to put one over Arnold Neveling for third. Danie van Niekerk closed his Masters championship off with fifth overall and another Masters victory, ahead of Karah Hill, Andre Bezuidenhout, Nicolas Vostanis, David, and Roberto Franco.

So, Bradley Liebenberg is the 2023 GTC SupaCup champion, his second such following his 2021 crown. Jonathan Mogotsi ended second from the absent Keegan Campos, with Arnold Neveling fourth from Tate Bishop and Masters champion Danie van Niekerk. GTC SupaCup will return with a new look and more than one carmaker competing for the first time, when the new season commences early in 2024. Watch this space as developments continue in that regard…

Volkswagen Motorsport thanks its partners CompCare Medical Scheme, Dunlop SportMaxx, Motul, Sparco and VW Genuine Parts.