In the Supercar Challenge’s Supersport division, reigning champions Laurens de Wit and Fabian Schoonhoven are locked in a fierce title battle. Racing a Cupra TCR for Ferry Monster Autosport, they share driving duties and swap mid-race. Five weekends into a seven-round season, they’re chasing FEBO Racing Team’s Dennis and Steff de Borst while holding off team-mates Lorenzo and Pim van Riet.

We caught up with Laurens and Fabian to reflect on a season that has been far from plain sailing, from early setbacks to a strong fightback that’s put their championship ambitions firmly back on track.

For newcomers, the Supercar Challenge is a multi-class championship where cars are grouped into divisions based on weight-to-horsepower ratios. GT3, GT4, TCR and other high-performance touring cars share the same track, with multiple divisions battling within the same race.

Laurens and Fabian compete in the Supersport division, one of the series’ most popular categories, which features a wide variety of machinery, from TCR cars to GT4 machines and BMW M2 CS-Rs.

De Wit is no stranger to silverware. With titles in the Ford Fiesta Cup (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021) and multiple Supercar Challenge crowns (2022, 2023, 2024), he’s long been regarded as a benchmark driver in the paddock. Schoonhoven has proven to be the perfect match since teaming up in mid-2023, and together they’ve carried that form into their reign as champions.

The season thus far

Yet despite holding the crown, their bid to defend it in 2025 has been far from straightforward. Even the season opener at Zandvoort brought drama. Laurens recalls the weekend as a mix of highs and headaches: “I took charge of the start of Race 1 from pole position (…) then we secured the victory. A good start is half the battle! Unfortunately, we were less fortunate in Race 2. Fabian stalled during the warm-up lap due to a broken gas pedal… We did manage to finish, but P9 was not what we had hoped for.” The Sunday endurance race brought them back onto the podium with second place, but the lost points in race two set an early challenge.

Trouble came knocking again during their weekend at Zolder in July. Fabian recalls a weekend that began in perfect form: pole position in both qualifying sessions and leading both races into the pitstop window. But in the Supercar Challenge, the handicap regulation* can be just as decisive as race pace. It’s a leveller between pros, semi-pros, and gentleman drivers, but it also means dominant weekends come with a price. In Zolder, those extra pitstop seconds gave their rivals an edge.

*A system designed to balance the field by adding pit lane time depending on recent results. A win adds 15 seconds, second place adds 10, and third adds five, with reduced penalties for lower finishes and a cap at 45 seconds.

In race one, Laurens fought back to retake the lead with what Fabian called “a fantastic overtake”, only for the intermediate driveshaft to fail shortly after. It was a bitter blow, as Laurens noted: “First DNF in many years (…) after eight seasons! For the first time, I didn’t see the chequered flag.” A calculated run in race two brought them second place and kept the damage to a minimum.

Jack’s Racing Day

Heading into Assen, they trailed the De Borsts by 22 points, knowing the biggest event of the year, with its packed grandstands, more than 50 cars on the grid, and a heavy VIP presence, could be the turning point.

Laurens set the tone before the weekend: “We’re going to give it our all again this weekend and hope to reduce the 22-point gap a little. Either way, I’m going to enjoy it immensely and aim to finish both races on the podium.”

They delivered. Pole position in qualifying, then two fiercely fought second places across the races. Taking over in the second half of race one, Fabian was locked in what he called “an intense duel from start to finish” with Lorenzo van Riet, who pipped him to the win in the final stages. Race two brought Schoonhoven a less than perfect getaway, but he held off Dennis de Borst and extended the gap before handing over to Laurens. “With a pole position and two second places, we are certainly very satisfied. This means we have closed the gap by 7 points,” Laurens said afterwards.

That haul has slashed the deficit to 15 points, with Laurens summing up the state of play: “We have a very exciting battle this season with three equally competitive cars. After this weekend, we are 15 points behind the leader and 15 points ahead of the number 3, so nothing has been decided yet.”

Next up

In the Supercar Challenge, consistency counts for just as much as outright speed, and Laurens and Fabian have shown they can deliver both. With Zandvoort next on the calendar in late September, they return to familiar ground with a chance to swing the title fight their way before the final weekend in Assen this October. And if their recent form is anything to go by, they’re not giving up the crown without a fight.