Josh Moore Battles Technical Setback and Mid-Pack Pressure at Zwartkops

Josh Moore endured a demanding weekend at Zwartkops Raceway as Round 3 of the Astron Energy Polo Cup formed part of the National Extreme Festival at the 2.4 km Pretoria circuit.

The Eastern Cape driver, who is contesting his rookie season in the country’s premier one-make championship after progressing from the 2025 Volkswagen Rookie Cup, arrived at Zwartkops looking to build on the experience gained during the opening two rounds of the season. However, the weekend quickly became a test of patience and resilience for the Worx Motorsport SA driver, with a persistent electronic issue hampering the car’s performance from Friday afternoon.

With the car not operating at its best throughout much of the weekend, Moore was left on the back foot heading into qualifying. The issue put a damper on his session and left him 16th on the grid, forcing him to approach Saturday’s opening race with a recovery mindset in a championship where overtaking is never straightforward, and the margins between drivers remain incredibly tight.

Despite the difficult starting position, Moore produced one of his strongest drives of the weekend in Race 1. Staying composed in the thick of the fiercely contested mid-pack, he worked his way forward and crossed the finish line in an impressive tenth position, underlining both his racecraft and his ability to keep fighting even when the weekend had not gone his way.

Race 2 again saw Moore show encouraging pace and determination as he held his own in another hard-fought Polo Cup encounter. However, a post-race penalty dropped him to 13th, taking the edge off what had been another solid showing from the rookie.

The final race of the weekend proved equally unforgiving. Caught up in the type of intense mid-pack battle that has become synonymous with Astron Energy Polo Cup racing, Moore once again had to contend with aggressive racing around him. With limited room to manoeuvre and little margin for error, he ultimately lost out in the exchanges and took the chequered flag in 15th place, bringing a challenging weekend to a close.

While the results may not have reflected the full effort behind the wheel, the Zwartkops weekend provided Moore with another important step in his debut Polo Cup campaign. Faced with technical frustration, a compromised qualifying session and the relentless pressure of one of South Africa’s most competitive racing categories, he continued to show the determination and grit required to keep progressing at the national level.

“It was definitely a tough weekend for us,” said Moore. “The electronic issue made Friday and qualifying really difficult, so starting from 16th was never going to make things easy. But I felt we fought hard, especially in Race 1, and to come through to tenth showed that the pace and determination are there. Polo Cup racing is extremely close, and you have to take the lessons from every race. A big thank you to Worx Motorsport SA, my family, sponsors and everyone who continues to support me. We will keep working and come back stronger.”

For Moore, Zwartkops was another reminder of the challenges that come with stepping into the Astron Energy Polo Cup. But despite the setbacks, the rookie left Pretoria with valuable mileage, hard-earned lessons and further proof that he is prepared to fight his way forward in one of South African motorsport’s toughest proving grounds.