Summarize

Saturday’s Burly Pro GTi Challenge races proved another rollercoaster weekend for Giordano Lupini in searing heat at Killarney, but the Franschhoek youngster did not fail to stun while he could. 

Lupini was only able to drive his repaired CIR Construction/La Vie de Luc Accelerate Special Gasoline #racingforwomen Golf 1 GTi for the first time on Friday evening following an incredible effort by panel sponsors acciDent Guru and the GAP Motorsport team to ready the car in the four weeks following his huge accident in the previous race crash. 

That did not deter Giordano from putting the untested machine on a dominant pole position and taking a resounding first race win. The second race however proved far more difficult and ultimately saw Giordano sidelined after leading the way when the car overheated, but the result still consolidated his class championship lead and kept him in the overall title chase.

“I was delighted to bounce back like that,” Giordano admitted. “Not only was I able to thank everyone who moved the mountain to get my car rebuilt after my big one last race for all the effort to get Ol’ Yeller back on track and running like a dream in time for qualifying yesterday, but also to launch our #racingforwomen campaign off to a flying start.

“We managed to get out to shake the car down late on Friday and then went back to the shop to sort the niggles we could, but it was pretty good in quali and I found pole with ease. “We had a problem though — I found I had no second gear just before the start and I had to go first to third and lost a few positions and I had to work for a bit to keep the C guys at bay behind the B cars but they soon cleared off and I chased them home. “What a feeling — it’s the second time we've come back like that this season!

“The second race was a different story — I started well enough despite no second gear, but this time the B car ahead was not just impossible to pass with so much more power, but it was a little slower, so it pushed me back to the mad Brat Pack dice behind. “It was difficult, but I managed to bunch them up a little behind by dropping into their dice to let the B car get away and then I drove like hell to get rid of them and was free in front.

“It was looking good — especially with overall title leader Eden Thompson in trouble, but it was not to be — my car was overheating with all that chasing in the blistering heat and it started to slow with a lap to go. “As horrible as it was to push Ol’ Yeller on like that, I did until I was out of the points with just two corners to the finish, so I parked it.

“Despite all of that, all my title rivals also had a difficult day and in class, despite Jarred Simpson taking that second race, I was able to consolidate my lead over him because he did not finish heat 1. Overall, both Eden and Nian du Toit also dropped races with their own issues, so we now go into the final four races with us three class leaders split by just four points overall — this is going to be a brilliant chase for that red number one and it’s a privilege to be part of it — it’s going to be an incredible last four races!

“In closing, a quick word on our cause from this weekend — #racingforwomen. “We have dedicated the prime real estate on Ol’ Yeller to our cause and I want to thank my sister Marcella for instigating this campaign and all the other Killarney drivers and riders who put stickers on their machines for supporting. “Our message is simple — to help raise awareness to this dreadful problem as we do our best to bring an end to the scourge of rape culture in South Africa — let’s all use our sport to spread it far and wide."