Bullion Boys Off to a Near Perfect Racing Start

Behind the scenes in Bullion IT Racing’s winning start.

When we left off, just before our new racing season commenced at Killarney early in March, we were excited. What followed, was Extreme, as the Festival we race in, is also known. As Julius Caesar would have said, Bullion IT Racing duo Jurie Swart and Giordano Lupini came, saw, and conquered Compcare Polo Cup at a glorious Killarney in a balmy late summer’s Cape Town.

We Were Determined to Make Good

You may recall from our preview, that an unfortunate qualifying mix-up cost us big in the season-ending finale as we built up toward our new season at the same circuit late last year. So, we were determined to make good. And like that troubled weekend, our drivers, Giordano’s red Bullion IT Polo GTI was quickly on top of the time sheets, with new teammate Jurie’s blue machine close behind. Session 2 was the same story. Our little team was firing on all cylinders. We hoped that was an ominous sign to our rivals, as our divers worked through their testing programs.

Testing s limited in Polo Cup, but being our home round, we are allowed two hours of running time on the car at Killarney between races. So that lads used the time to hone their practice program in. In anticipation of their away rounds, where those three sessions will be so much more crucial. Still, both were dominant in both their qualifying and race simulations. The final session was spent sorting a few other aspects and Jurie ended second, Gio fourth.

Polo Cup runs a straight qualifying session before a one-shot top-six shootout. So, the main objective was to be in the top six. Cape Town is renowned for the Cape Doctor, a blasting gale out of the southeast at this time of the year. Qualifying started in a bit of a gale. The lads made the best of their new rubber, which peaks for just a couple of laps. Young Tate Bishop placed his Angri Polo perfectly to steal the quickest lap with a double slip off Jurie and Giordano, into the wind down the main straight.

Giordano’s First Superpole… Soon Became His Maiden Pole Position

Still, both Bullion IT Racing cars were through to Superpole. Gio second and Jurie third fastest. That also exorcised Giordano’s qualifying jinx after the last race as Tate and Universal lad Charl Visser made it a proudly Cape Town home 1-2-3-4. Johannesburg duo, Squadra Corse kid Nathi Msimanga and Visser’s Universal teammate Dawie van der Merwe made up the Superpole top six. Van der Merwe was out first as he outpaced Msimanga and Visser to provisionally take the top spot in Superpole, as they completed their single-shot laps.

Then it was butterfly time, but Jurie was half a second quicker than Dawie on his banzai lap. Then Bishop went out and pipped Swart by three hundredths. Only for Giordano to turn his first ever Superpole into gold. Lupini was just 0.02 seconds quicker than Tate to snatch the $200 Dunlop Pole Position Prize, as the bevy of Dunlop beauties tracked him down to hand him his envelope. “To take pole position in my first Polo Cup Superpole is a major highlight,” Giordano admitted. “We have had the pace throughout, so thanks to Nian du Toit Racing — the car felt great every time I went out. “Tomorrow is the big one — bring it on!”

It was hot on race day and a splendid crowd had turned up to the first post-lockdown Nationals when Compcare Polo Cup came under starters orders under the noonday sun. Tate Bishop made the perfect start to holeshot into turn 1, with Jurie and Gio in pursuit. Polo Cup has a 50 HP push to pass, but that’s not allowed on the first lap, or in qualifying. But the Bullion IT lads were all over the Angri lad down the back straight on the second lap. Jurie made a move around the outside, but Bishop locked up and helped Swart off.