By Sudhir Matai, Motorsport Correspondent
Cape Town - Andre Bezuidenhout makes a return to the VW SupaCup series where he was crowned national champion in the Masters category last year. Team Perfect Circle, a banner first used in the 1960s, was revitalised in 2019 by Bezuidenhout with consent from David Piper who won the Kyalami 9 Hour on multiple occasions under this name.
Team Perfect Circle will have added firepower in its arsenal this year in the shape of Keagan Masters, a multiple SA national champion and a recipient of Protea colours for meritorious conduct in motorsport.
Despite being just 21, Masters has a wealth of racing experience in karting, single-seaters and saloon cars. He has previously won the GTC and GTC 2 titles on the national stage and he has competed in the Audi Sport TT Cup in Germany. Masters now makes his first foray into the VW SupaCup series.
The talented youngster is excited about his new challenge: “I am ecstatic to be back racing at the national level after a break of two years. I am grateful to Team Perfect Circle for giving me this opportunity. It will be a real honour to race alongside an experienced and well-respected campaigner such as Andre, as well as some of my old rivals from previous seasons. We will try our best to bring home the championship for Team Perfect Circle.”
Bezuidenhout, in his customary way, underplays his impressive racing CV that includes a class win at the 2020 Kyalami 9 Hour and multiple ‘King of the Hill’ titles at the prestigious Simola Hillclimb, to add to his numerous international accolades. “The world of motorsport is slowly returning to normality and interest in our sport is benefiting from international attention after the much-published Hamilton/Verstappen 2021 F1 season. The SupaCup one-make championship has grown tremendously and it is going to be a very exciting year.”
Technical support for the two-car team will come from ace VW race technicians Graeme Nathan and Michael Allers. SupaCup races form part of the Extreme Festival, SA’s premier circuit racing roadshow.
Bezuidenhout commented ahead of the upcoming season: “Last year was a real challenge as I adapted to racing a front-wheel-drive car and duked it out against some of the best driving talents in SA. I had an absolute blast and, by the smallest margin, we claimed the national crown in the masters category. I eagerly anticipate this title defence with more experience under my belt. The field in SupaCup has expanded in 2022, which should make things more challenging.”
Corporate supporters of Team Perfect Circle include Motul, Ons Huisie Restaurant, Bertha Wines and The Rennsport Collective.
The season-opener of the Extreme Festival takes place at Killarney International Raceway in Cape Town this weekend, March 5. VW SupaCup will share joint top-billing and the racetrack with Global Touring Cars (GTC). Bezuidenhout and Masters will be racing in a field of approximately two dozen identical racecars.
Races will be available to view around the world via livestreaming on the Volkswagen Motorsport SA Facebook page. You can keep up with the latest happenings from Team Perfect Circle on their Facebook page.
2022 Extreme Festival Calendar
● 5 March – Killarney International Raceway, Cape Town
● 23 April – Zwartkops Raceway, Pretoria
● 28 May – Aldo Scribante Race Circuit, Gqeberha
● 2 July – Red Star Raceway, Delmas
● 6 August – East London Grand Prix Circuit, East London
● 17 September – Killarney International Raceway, Cape Town
● 15 October – Zwartkops Raceway, Pretoria