South Africa’s Bradley Liebenberg emerged as the biggest winner of an unforgettable weekend at Belgium’s Circuit Zolder, taking over the Polo Cup Germany championship lead after claiming two victories and a podium during the series’ first-ever triple-race event. Held in temperatures reaching 35°C (par for the course for a Saffer), the Belgian round marked the championship’s first visit outside Germany this season and introduced a new format featuring three qualifying sessions and three races. The expanded schedule compensated for the cancelled Hockenheim opener while providing one of the toughest physical and mental challenges of the year.
RACE 1
Max Kruse Racing’s Luca Wieninger started the weekend in style by securing pole position before converting it into a commanding lights-to-flag victory. The opening race was interrupted almost immediately after Cedric Piro was eliminated in a first-corner incident, bringing out the safety car. Franco Fahrbach initially crossed the line in third but received a five-second penalty for an incorrect starting position, promoting Bradley Liebenberg onto the final podium step. Leon Arndt finished second after pressuring Wieninger throughout the race, while championship leader Julian Konrad limited the damage by recovering to sixth after a difficult qualifying session.
RACE 2
Liebenberg struck back in Race 2 to record one of the standout victories of the season. Although Fahrbach started from pole, the South African launched a decisive move into Turn 1 and controlled the race from the front despite relentless pressure throughout. He eventually crossed the line just 0.455 seconds ahead of the Max Kruse Racing driver, with Wieninger completing the podium despite carrying bodywork damage after clipping a tyre stack. The championship battle swung dramatically during the race. Konrad retired on the opening lap following a driving error, while Mike Müller suffered a puncture and Tyler Robinson’s impressive run ended with mechanical failure. Sophie Hofmann finished as the leading female driver in tenth.
Speaking after the race, Liebenberg said: “I knew in this heat: whoever leads out of Turn 1 wins the race, because following another car is extremely tough. So I committed fully at the start and went for it. After that, it was purely about managing the car’s temperatures.”
RACE 3
Liebenberg completed a dream weekend by converting pole position into another lights-to-flag victory in the final race. Drama unfolded behind him almost immediately as Max Kruse Racing teammates Luca Wieninger and Franco Fahrbach collided in the opening corner, allowing Liebenberg to escape while Leon Arndt settled into second place. Fahrbach recovered to complete the podium after surviving sustained pressure from Mike Müller during the closing stages. One of the drives of the weekend came from former championship leader Julian Konrad. After extensive repairs following earlier incidents left him starting 18th on the grid, the MSC Sinzig driver carved his way through the field to finish sixth and keep himself firmly in title contention. Wieninger also recovered strongly after the opening-lap contact to finish seventh.
Benelux Guests Impress
The Zolder meeting also offered a preview of the planned Polo Cup Benelux championship, due to launch in 2027. Guest driver Laurents de Wit produced three consistently strong performances, finishing eighth, sixth and tenth across the weekend, while Fabian Schonhooven impressed for Molkenboer Autosport with two ninth-place finishes despite retiring from Race 2 after sustaining damage during an off-track excursion. Although neither guest driver was eligible to score championship points, both added further depth to the increasingly competitive field.
Championship Fight Blown Wide Open
The Belgian weekend completely reshuffled the championship standings. Liebenberg now heads into the summer break leading the championship on 313 points after collecting two victories and a third-place finish. Franco Fahrbach moves into second on 286 points, with teammate Luca Wieninger close behind on 278. Leon Arndt sits fourth on 273 points, while Julian Konrad slips to fifth with 265 after a difficult weekend despite his impressive recovery drive in the finale. Series organiser Thorsten Willems praised the competitors after one of the most demanding events of the season.
“What our teams and drivers achieved in 35-degree heat was outstanding. The new triple-race format delivered exactly the excitement we hoped for and has transformed the championship battle heading into the second half of the season.”
Following the summer break, the Polo Cup Germany championship resumes at the Lausitzring from 25 to 27 September for another action-packed triple-header.
