South African circuit racing championship hopefuls only have two more opportunities in 2021 to try and earn enough points in order to be crowned champions at the end of the season. The tricky Red Star Raceway near Delmas in Mpumalanga will provide the first of these opportunities when Round 5 of both the GTC SupaCup and Volkswagen Polo Cup series will be contested there over the weekend of 24 and 25 September.
The battles at the sharp end during each of the year’s Volkswagen Polo Cup races were fantastic to say the least. Then again, tough battles and close racing is what the Volkswagen Polo Cup is renowned for so it should come as no surprise that a number of talented young drivers are still fighting for championship honours with only two race meetings remaining in the 2021 season. The driver topping the points table is 15-year old sensation Leyton Fourie, but his lead over a very determined Arnold Neveling is a mere 2 points. Fourie has amassed a total of 174 championship points so far, courtesy of three pole positions, two fastest laps and three overall race victories. Neveling’s scorecard is equally impressive as he boasts three fastest laps and also three race wins. Capetonian Jurie Swart is very much within striking distance, just a further 12 points adrift in third on the table. Swart, who is somewhat of a coastal circuit specialist as his record shows a pole position and no less than four fastest laps, will be hoping to take that kind of form and speed to the Highveld for the first visit to Red Star in 2021.
With four separate races and a total of 80 championship points still up for grabs, excluding the points for pole positions and fastest laps, there are three more drivers still in with a mathematical chance of claiming one of South African motorsport’s most coveted crowns. These names include the likes of Clinton Bezuidenhout, Keegan Campos and youngster Jayden Els.
“As the custodians of this 25-year old series, we at Volkswagen Motorsport have been very impressed by the level of talent and skill contained in the class of 2021,” commented Mike Rowe, head of Volkswagen Motorsport. “This series has produced great drivers that have now made it on the international scene, and we have no doubt that the next bunch of South African superstars will come from this group.”
This battle won’t be the only one that deserves attention at Red Star. Volkswagen’s own Jonathan Mogotsi is very much involved in a battle of epic proportions with defending champion Bradley Kruger in the hotly contested SupaCup category of the Global Touring Car (GTC) series. Mogotsi took his maiden victory earlier this season and earned more valuable points during the last outing in East London, leaving him on 126 points, just 7 points shy of Liebenberg. These two will also have to be on the lookout for the rest of chasing pack led by Jeff Kruger, Saood Variawa and Jason Campos.
Qualifying for the Volkswagen Polo Cup will take place late on the Friday afternoon with two races scheduled for the Saturday while SupaCup qualifying and the two races will all take place on Saturday. “Due to the ongoing pandemic, the circuit will still be closed for spectators, but fans will still be able to follow every lap of the action through our various Social Media outlets,” concluded Rowe.
Article by QuickPic.