The inaugural Polo Cup Germany season is heading into its decisive phase, and there’s a South African sitting at the very top of the championship standings (making staff writer Chris rather smug). The series heads to the Lausitzring this weekend with a 27-point advantage as the series prepares for a seriously busy triple-header from 25 to 27 September.
Following the summer break, the one-make series returns to action for the first time since its visit to Zolder in Belgium, where Liebenberg put together a near-perfect weekend with two victories and a third-place finish. That haul was enough to propel the Georg Motorsport driver into the championship lead, but with five races still to run, there’s very little room for error.
Liebenberg currently sits on 313 points, with Franco Fahrbach on 286 and Luca Wieninger on 278, both driving for Max Kruse Racing. Leon Arndt is right behind Wieninger on 273 points, while Julian Konrad sits on 263, meaning there are five drivers separated by just 50 points at the sharp end of the table.
And with three races taking place at Lausitzring, that could all change pretty quickly. The weekend follows the same triple-header format used earlier in the season, with each race getting its own qualifying session. That means three separate opportunities to grab pole, three races worth of championship points and, potentially, three very different versions of the championship standings by Sunday afternoon.
Things get underway on Saturday morning with free practice, followed by the opening race, while qualifying for race two takes place later that afternoon. Sunday then brings another practice session before the remaining two races. All three qualifying sessions and races are scheduled to run for 25 minutes. While the championship battle is obviously the main attraction, the Lausitzring grid has also grown since the last round. There are now 22 Polos entered for the weekend, compared with the 20 that lined up at Zolder.
Among the newcomers is Sebastian Schwinn, who will make his debut in the series in car #5 as part of his preparation for a larger motorsport programme. Schwinn has already bought three Polo Cup cars for 2027, with plans to campaign them in the Polo Cup Germany as well as on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, so Lausitzring will provide a useful first taste of what he’s letting himself in for. There’s also a slightly different driver behind the wheel of car #99 this weekend. Adrian Schneider will take over the official BDF Experts Media Car, giving the former race engineer a chance to experience the series from the other side of the pit wall. Schneider has spent years working in motorsport and is also involved in social media, including managing Polo Cup partner Motul, but this time around he gets to experience the 25-minute races from inside the car rather than from the engineering stand.
The grid could have been even bigger, with three Dutch guest entries originally expected to join the field. Unfortunately, a clash with the Spa Six Hours means those drivers won’t make the trip to Lausitzring.
“We’re heading into a crucial phase of our first season at the Lausitzring,” said Polo Cup Germany series organiser Thorsten Willems. “There are five races left to go, and the tight margins at the top show just how much can still happen in the championship. “With three qualifying sessions and three races, another very intense weekend awaits our drivers and teams, one in which it will come down not only to speed but, above all, to consistency.
“We’re particularly pleased that our starting grid is growing once again for the final stretch of the season. Unfortunately, our Dutch guest drivers are unable to take part this time due to a clash of dates; otherwise, we would have had three more cars on the grid. “The fact that we are still competing with 22 cars and, at the same time, welcoming new drivers to our ranks shows just how well the Cup is developing.”
For Liebenberg and the chasing pack, however, development of the series can wait until after the weekend. There are 75 points available across the three Lausitzring races, meaning the championship could look very different by Sunday evening. After that, the title fight heads to Hockenheim for the season finale on 24 and 25 October, where the final two races of the inaugural Polo Cup Germany season will decide who takes the first championship crown.
And if you’re nowhere near Lausitzring this weekend, you can still keep an eye on how Liebenberg’s title charge is progressing, with all three races being streamed live.