Rookie Leyton Fourie extended his Global Touring Cars (GTC) SupaCup points-lead by a further point over closest rival and stable mate, Jeffrey Kruger, after a hard-fought two races at the East London Grand Prix Circuit this past weekend.
In his Express Hire / Universal Motorsport Polo SupaCup car, Leyton set Friday’s fastest lap in the practice sessions and followed it up with his second Dunlop Pole Position on Saturday morning. Like in the day’s two races, this followed a fierce contest for the fastest lap between sixteen-year-old Leyton and seasoned-campaigner Jefffrey, something that would continue throughout the day.
From the opening race’s pole position, Leyton, still the youngest driver in the championship, took a lights-to-flag victory but never came under any real threat of losing the place. In Race 2 and from a reverse grid start, Leyton and Jeffrey had to work their way through the field ahead before being able to contend for the podium placings. While Jeffrey found it somewhat more straightforward, Leyton was made to work somewhat harder. While Kruger went on to take the win, Leyton finished in an impressive runner-up position, making all the difference to his final points tally. His relentless pursuit in the closing stages saw him take the crucial one-point advantage to extend his lead to seven points with two rounds remaining.
“We pushed hard today and are delighted with our result,” said Leyton. “This contest will likely go down to the final event, especially between Jeffrey and I, as we seem so evenly matched. Picking up the bonus points for fastest laps and Dunlop Pole Positions could be what decides the title and shows just how important it is to push till the end. Thank you to everyone who made this weekend possible.”
For Leyton, this event marked 24 months of national circuit racing. While his first season was a learning curve, it concluded with him taking his maiden victory in the 2020 Polo Cup Championship. In 2021 he won both the Polo Cup and VW Challenge titles. He is currently on the verge of becoming one of the most successful young drivers in South African motorsport history.
The penultimate round of the 2022 GTC SupaCup will be hosted at Killarney International Raceway on 16-17 September.
Issued by Motorsport Fanatix on behalf of Leyton Fourie
