Teenage racing sensation Leyton Fourie added his third South African National championship in three years when he won the all-Volkswagen Supa Polo championship with a first race victory at Zwartkops’ Extreme Festival Finals in Pretoria on Saturday.
It was Fourie’s third title in three years on top of his 2020 Polo Cup Rookie and 2021 Overall Polo Cup wins. Jeffrey Kruger ended second in the championship chase from Keegan Campos, whose brother Jason won Saturday’s second race. Nick Davidson took the Masters title from Paul Luti and Rui Campos.
Fourie started on the front foot as he put another point in his cart with pole position aboard his Express Hire Supa Polo. Title rival Kruger was only fourth in his Universal car behind previous race winner Keegan Campos’ Turn1 Insurance Campos Transport machine and Volkswagen factory driver Jonathan Mogotsi in his Sonax Supa Polo.
Arnold Neveling’s Pagid Polo lined up fifth alongside Jason Campos’ second Turn1 Insurance Campos Transport car, Daniel Rowe’s Perfect Circle Polo, Tato Carello and Jean Pierre van der Walt’s Platinum Wheels car. Trinity Protection lad Nathan Hammond was next from Calvin Dias and Masters’ pole man Stefan Snyders and runner up Rui Campos. Capetonian Danie van Niekerk was next up from Masters’ duo Sam Hammond and Nick Davidson, who had already clinched the Masters title at Killarney last time out.
Fourie made no mistake to lead Keegan Campos away in race 1, as the field reshuffled behind him through the first lap. That saw Arnold Neveling up to second ahead of Mogotsi, Kruger, Jason Campos and Rowe. A keen dice was going down behind when the safety car was deployed to extract a GTC car from a sand trap. The top six remained in that order for a few laps after the safety car returned to the pits.
There was a considerable amount of action behind them however, that saw van der Walt emerge eighth from Carello, Dominic and Calvin Dias. Nathan Hammond followed from van Niekerk, while Rui Campos led the Masters charge from Sam Hammond, Snyders and Davidson. The race settled down at mid distance, only for Keegan Campos to spin out of second and drop back to seventh behind Neveling, Mogotsi, Kruger, brother Jason and Rowe as Fourie took the title with a formidable 24 second race win.
Reverse grid race 2 was as always, a horse of another colour. Jason Campos quickly overcame Daniel Rowe to take a compelling lights to flag win. Mogotsi was soon up to second from Kruger, Rowe and Neveling. Keegan Campos meanwhile deposed new champion Fourie for sixth.
It was hectic behind them as Nathan Hammond emerged eighth from Masters winner Rui Campos, Carello and van Niekerk. That after Calvin Dias, Sam Hammond and Snyders dropped down the order late in the race to allow van Niekerk up to 11th from Calvin, van der Walt, Sam, Davidson, Snyders and Dominic Dias.
Overall, Volkswagen driver Jonathan Mogotsi emerged as the winner of the day from Jason Campos, Fourie, Kruger, Neveling and Rowe, while Rui Campos topped Masters’ from Sam Hammond and Davidson. Leyton Fourie is the 2022 SupaCup champion from Jeffrey Kruger and Keegan Campos. Fourie was also voted SupaCup Driver of the Year. Nick Davidson is SupaCup Masters champion from Paul Luti and Rui Campos.
SupaCup 2023 starts all over again at the 9 Hour Weekend on 25 February. See you at Kyalami!