Double GTC SupaCup podium for rookie Fourie

Leyton Fourie announced his presence in the Global Touring Cars (GTC) SupaCup with two podium finishes in this past weekend’s (March 4-5) season opener at Killarney International Raceway.

Fourie, the youngest driver on the 2022 grid, set the pace throughout Friday’s three practice sessions at the same circuit he won the 2021 Volkswagen Polo Cup title a few months earlier. A strong battle for the fastest lap ensued during Saturday morning’s qualifying session, with debutant Fourie staking an early claim to pole position. As the session timer counted down, Keagan Masters lapped quicker, leaving rookie Fourie in third, a mere 0.075 seconds off the pole time.

From the start, the Express Hire Polo SupaCup driver tucked in behind the leading pair of experienced SupaCup campaigner Jeffrey Kruger and Masters, a former GTC Champion. An accident further back saw the race red-flagged, and the race stopped. Following the restart, Fourie again found himself in a battle for the podium with the leader, Masters, edging away, leaving the Johannesburg teenager to battle Kruger for the runner-up position. While Kruger finished second, Fourie claimed his maiden podium in GTC SupaCup.

“Really happy with my first podium on debut, “stated an elated Fourie. “The pace up front is fierce and you certainly have to be at your best on every lap. Congrats to Keagan on a good race. I hope to be challenging for the win in the next one.”

Another interrupted race followed as an early incident in the GTC Championship class brought out the red flag. From the restart, Fourie again found himself in the leading group where he resumed his battle with Kruger. Initially battling for positions two and three, Fourie found himself with a opportunity to take the win after the leader erred on the final lap. However, a final charge to beat Kruger to the line was unsuccessful with Fourie finishing in second by only 0.014 seconds.

“It was a solid start in GTC SupaCup for us with good pace throughout and a generous points-payout,” said Fourie. “It’s always difficult to know exactly where you are in the pecking order during practice, so while not over-confident, we were happy with our performance. We had two good, clean races. In fact, having now competed against both, I can say that both Jeffrey and Keagan are two of the best drivers to race against. I think I certainly established myself as a contender for the season, but I now have to continue building on this form. I would like to thank Universal Motorsport and Ettienne (van der Linde) for providing me with a competitive car for this weekend. We are going to dig deeper with that first win certainly not far away.”

The next round of the 2022 GTC SupaCup will take place at Zwartkops Raceway on April 22-23.

Leyton Fourie

Issued by Motorsport Fanatix on behalf of Leyton Fourie

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