Hype Energy South Africa will be launched into the spotlight this weekend (Apr 22-23) with the debut of a third VW Golf 8 GTi. In the hands of multiple national karting and saloon car champion Bradley Liebenberg, the energy drink brand will be hoping to be at the forefront of the Global Touring Cars (GTC) field as Round 2 of the championship gets underway at Zwartkops Raceway.
Liebenberg, who has progressed from the GTC SupaCup, heads to Pretoria on the back of a frustrating opening round in Cape Town last month, where he was hoping to bag some valuable championship points. Running in an older-spec Audi S3 while his VW Golf 8 GTi’s build was being finalised, the double GTC SupaCup Champion put on another gritty display of driving to claim a Race 1 podium on debut ahead of a few seasoned campaigners. Unfortunately, the Johannesburg driver was left sidelined in Race 2 through no fault of his own, scoring a DNF. Liebenberg is joint fifth in the championship standings heading into the second round and will be keen on impressing his sponsors in front of an expectant passionate Zwartkops crowd.
“It’s always an incredible experience to race at Zwartkops,” said Liebenberg. “With the fans back and an expected record crowd in attendance, what more can we as race drivers ask for? I’m happy to be flying the Hype Energy flag fully this weekend with the new Golf 8. It’s great to have them on board this season, and considering their long history with motorsport globally, it’s fantastic to see the brand back on a race car again. With the help of Sparco and Universal Racing I’ll be hoping to make an impression on the championship this weekend and try and make up for the disappointment in Cape Town.”
Initially launched in 1994 by the founder of the Hard Rock Café, Hype Energy was heavily involved in motorsport in its early years, first by sponsoring the Arrows Formula One team and subsequently Benetton F1, Williams F1, a NASCAR outfit and several motorcycle teams. Associated with the Formula One party lifestyle and a strong presence in the paddock, Hype Energy committed huge funds to sponsorship to achieve global recognition and establish worldwide distribution.