One Dunlop Sport Maxx trophy proved larger than life at Killarney

Three drivers shared out the six Dunlop Sport Maxx’s Extreme Festival Special Racing Awards at Cape Town’s recent South African National Extreme Festival at Killarney. For one of them however, his overall winner’s trophy proved more than just significant.

Gazoo Racing Toyota Corolla young gun Saood Variawa took both the R2500 Dunlop Sport Maxx Pole Position award and the Dunlop Sport Maxx Floating trophy for winning the Global Touring Cars overall. Bradley Liebenberg did the same as he picked up both the pole and the overall win accolades aboard his Hype Energy Drink Volkswagen Supa Polo in GTC SupaCup.

Wildcard Giordano Lupini kept the dominant theme going with double Dunlop Sport Maxx awards for pole position and the overall win in CompCare Polo Cup in his black Tork Craft machine. The spoils however became all that more poignant for Gio when he was handed the Dunlop Sport Maxx John Love Floating Trophy following his shock grand slam victory.

“This is a very emotional moment for me,” fourth generation race driver Giordano confessed. “Six-time South African racing champion, Rhodesian John Love won the 1961 Van Riebeek trophy driving my great grandfather Gigi’s Scuderia Lupini Cooper Maserati right here at Killarney 62 years ago.

“So my heart skipped a beat when I realised that I was holding the John Love Floating Trophy! Even better, my grandfather Mario told me afterwards that John won on Dunlop Racing tyres that day, so this award really is something special to me.” Dunlop was the sole tyre supplier to the South African and World Formula 1 Championships in the early 1960s.

Saood Variawa and Bradley Liebenberg will be back and chasing more Dunlop Racing spoils in GTC and SupaCup at Zwartkops’ 20 May Extreme Festival. Lupini and his team are working hard behind the scenes to secure the budget that will allow Giordano to race the rest of the CompCare Polo Cup season.

Dunlop is the exclusive tyre supplier to Global Touring Cars, GTC SupaCup and CompCare Polo Cup.