Brad Liebenberg finished his debut Global Touring Cars (GTC) season at Zwartkops Raceway this past weekend (14-15 October) by recording his third race victory, much to the delight of those celebrating 40 years of the iconic Golf GTI.
The weekend, however, did not progress without complications. In Friday’s practice sessions, he delivered good positions but found his Hype Energy Drinks South Africa / Sparco / Universal Motorsport Team RED Racing Volkswagen Golf 8 GTI lacking pace. On Saturday morning, he set the third-fastest time in the qualifying session.
The first race ended disastrously for Liebenberg shortly after the safety-car period when he had to pit with a mechanical issue. However, the team had him ready to take to the grid for the start of Race 2, where he delivered a superb performance to record a brilliant comeback win to end his season on a high.
Although the win again underlined why Liebenberg is rated as one of South Africa’s best drivers, it was not enough to see him ascend the championship points table, making it the first season since 2015 that he has finished outside of the top three.
“One word sums up my season. Frustrating!” said Liebenberg. “While I am delighted to end it with a win, it just shows what could have been. The car has the potential to win races, but reliability has not been on our side. You can’t be challenging for the win one weekend and retiring with mechanical issues at the next. Thank you to my sponsors – Hype Energy Drinks South Africa and Sparco. Thanks to Lee Thompson from Team RED Racing. My main circuit season might have ended, but I now have a karting international, which requires my focus.”
Issued by Motorsport Fanatix on behalf of Brad Liebenberg
