Jean-Pierre van der Walt’s relatively short journey to motorsport success has seen him twice winning the King of the Hill title at the Simola Hillclimb, but this coming weekend (August 5-6) will see another first for him when the Global Touring Cars (GTC) SupaCup heads to the East London Grand Prix Circuit.
This will be the first visit to the fast, historic East London road circuit for the Platinum Wheels Polo SupaCup driver. While a Polo Cup graduate, he missed the 2021 visit to the circuit due to business commitments and the following weekend’s Simola Hillclimb. In 2020, his debut season on the national tour, the COVID-19 pandemic saw the circuit excluded from the revised calendar.
“It’s hard to believe that in four years of racing, I have not been to the East London circuit,” says Van der Walt. “I am, however, looking forward to it. It is a new challenge ahead of me, and the circuit appears to be in a stunning setting.”
But it will hardly be a relaxing weekend cruise next to the ocean for Van der Walt. In his debut GTC SupaCup season, he has progressed to sixth place on the points table following two of his best performances in the previous round. With 60 points to his name, he finds himself ahead of a host of respected competitors but will be eager to see himself edge closer to the battle for third place, trailing the next group by 24 points.
“Every round thus far has seen us gradually improve, so we look forward to what this weekend will bring. It will be tough to close that gap, but we are ready for it. Besides, the next step for us is onto the podium, which is certainly a goal.”
Round 5 of the GTC SupaCup will form part of the Extreme Festival at the East London Grand Prix Circuit. Saturday’s two races will start at 12:40 and 15:45 and will be contested over 10 and 12 laps, respectively.
Spectator tickets can be purchased directly from the venue at R80.00 per person, with children under 12 years eligible to enter the premises free of charge. The entire race programme will be streamed live on the PW Racing Facebook page and 2WheelsTV YouTube Channel.
Issued by Motorsport Fanatix on behalf of Platinum Wheels
