‘6SpeedOnline’ Racers Jurie, Giordano Survive Wild East London
Racing adventures reached a crescendo in crazy East London Polo Cup races.
6SpeedOnline’s Bullion IT Racing duo Jurie Swart and Giordano Lupini’s racing adventures reached a crescendo at a wild couple of fifth round races at the historic beachside East London Grand Prix Circuit, Augus 6.
Both cars ended up in the top six overall after a wild day’s racing at the epic, super fast but brutally unforgiving racetrack, but it was by no means an easy ask for either driver.
An Incredible East London Racing Heritage
East London’s racing heritage stretches back to the 1930s, when the likes of Bernd Rosemeyer’s monster supercharged V16 Silver Arrows Auto Union and Piero Taruffi’s Maserati won pre-War South African Grands Prix. And Stirling Moss, Jim Clark and Jack Brabham were among the 1960s winners at the South African Border Region Grand Prix track before the GP moved on to Kyalami.
It was also a big weekend for Bullion IT’s fourth generation racer Giordano Lupini, whose dad, grandfather and great grandfather’s racing careers have all intertwined with the great racetrack’s legacy over the years. “East London is a big one for me because of all the history,” Gio admitted. “We has a good run in the previous race with my Bullion IT Polo and now we race at a track where nobody has a chance to test, so I’m really looking forward to it.”
Championship leading teammate Jurie Swart was also keen in anticipation. “We head to neutral ground and arrive at East London on equal footing with the rest of the grid. “As Gio says, it’s the only race of the season where none of the Polo Cup field enjoys a hometown advantage, so this one is down to each driver and team getting the best out of their car on this classic racetrack. “I love East London – we can’t wait for the weekend!”
Weekend Proved Tougher Than Expected
The weekend however proved a little more challenging than both drivers anticipated. Swart arrived at East London hoping for a strong weekend in the blue Bullion IT Racing Polo. But he had to work for it. “My pace was not as strong as expected on Friday and despite an aggressive strategy, I only just scraped into the Superpole shootout. “Superpole went better, and I put it third on the grid. “Then I was lucky to draw second out of the hat for race 2, so we were in the game.”
Junior team driver Giordano Lupini endured a tough practice and qualifying in his red Bullion IT Polo GTi Cup. “We took an alternative strategy knowing that East London would be to be a tough nut to crack. “So, we decided to rather concentrate on race pace and leave our best qualifying resources for the last few races of the season,” Gio explained. “That meant our Friday pace was a little compromised and I qualified ninth for both heats.”
The races went as well as they could for Jurie Swart: “It was clear that we were only fighting for second, looking at Dawie van der Merwe’s pole position pace out of the blue with a fresh engine in his car. “That’s exactly what happened — I had to fight a combative Charl Visser off in race 1 and ended third behind Dawie and my closest championship rival Clinton Bezuidenhout.
Giordano Made Up Five More Places
Giordano made the best of not the best cards dealt to him in the opening heat. “I had to avoid contact in the Complex on lap 1 of Race 1 and that dropped me way down to 13th. “But I was back up to 11th by the time we crossed the line after lap 1 and I just put my head down from there and picked them off one by one, passing Nathi Msimanga for seventh on the final lap. “It was a tough run and there was a fair bit of rubbing, but it paid off in the end!”
Race 2 was another tough pill to swallow for Swart. “There was nothing I could do to stop Dawie powering past me early in race 2, but I found a way past Tate Bishop, who had drawn pole position after two laps. “Clinton had great pace later in the race and he managed to pass me and I ended up third again. “That gives Clinton the championship advantage by just one point over me, but it’s our home race next and we should be strong there.”
Lupini endured a quite literally crunching second heat in the red Bullion IT Polo. “I made a great getaway and was up to seventh by the end of lap 1, when Nathi lost it in Beacon, Dean Venter lifted to avoid him, and I had nowhere to go. “I was bracing for a small impact with Dean to the left, when Ethan Coetzee slammed into my right side, sandwiching me hard between Dean and him. “Despite all that, the car felt OK afterwards, these Polo Cups really are very strong!
A Smashing East London Second Heat
“The safety car was then deployed to clean up the glass from my smashed right front and rear left windows and the rest of the debris. “I was back in 12th after all that when the Safety Car went back in, so I put my head down again and just went for it. “The missing glass slowed me down the straights and the steering was a tad off centre, but the car was still good, and I made up several places. “I was chasing Jason Loosemore down for sixth when the race was stopped two laps early.
“Looking at the car after the first race, my dad and I pondered how we should repair the scuffed doors and decided to make a call after the second race,” Gio grinned. “Now have no option but to replace all four doors on the car! “I was delighted to make up eleven places through the weekend to add to the 23 passes I’ve made so far this season, to end up sixth overall despite some major challenges. “Special thanks to Nian, my dad and Bullion IT Racing for all the effort and support.
Both drivers were concerned about recent developments in Polo Cup. “Dawie’s ominous pace could be an issue for us at home and he has become a serious championship rival too,” Jurie explained. “That said, we are still in a strong position with two rounds and four races still to run. “Thanks to Gozzi, Hein and my dad and to Bullion IT Racing for another great weekend.”
East London Safety Concerns
The incident that red flagged the second race a lap short also produced a worrying outcome. “Unfortunately, race 2 was stopped early after Ethan Coetzee suffered another frightening accident after our shunt earlier in the race. “Ethan was rushed to hospital and ended up in ICU where he underwent some delicate spinal surgery. “On behalf of us all at Bullion IT Racing, we wish Ethan a speedy recovery.
“That accident also highlights major concerns about the East London Grand Prix Circuit. “An historic, challenging, and super fast racetrack, it remains the highlight of our racing year. “But driver safety is paramount, and that part of the track is scary dangerous. “Ethan is also by no means the first major incident there. “Something must be done to prevent what happened to Ethan, occurring again.”
A wild weekend in every respct, East London left Jurie Swart second in the overall title race, just a point behind old rival Clinton Bezuidenhout. Junior team member Giordano remans unbeaten among the Polo Cup rookies in sixth in the overall standings and in a healthy rookie title lead with three races still to run in the final two championship rounds.
Home Race Next in Cape Town
“It may have been a challenging weekend, but both our drivers were great once again in East London,” Bullion IT CEO Clive Strover concluded. “Huge well done to “Jurie and Giordano’s performances on track have made us proud and we can’t wait for the lads’ home race at Killarney in Cape Town in September. “Bring it on!”
Photos: Andre Laubscher
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