Teen races to 9-hour history
Three down, seven to go for the Lowvelder Golf Challenge
Yet another successful Lowvelder
Golf Challenge was hosted at Mbombela Golf Club on Wednesday April 17, with a new winner crowned after another great day of golf.
The greens at Mbombela were full of enthusiastic golfers, looking to throw their hat into the ring among the already existing challengers in the Lowvelder Golf Challenge.
A young petrolhead from Mbombela, Kirsten Auerswald, has made history as the youngest female driver to take part in the Eezi 9 Hours of iLamuna Race, doing so at just 15 years old.
Kirsten, a learner of Curro Nelspruit, was part of the Lemon Aid team that took part in the race at Red Star Raceway in Delmas on Sunday.
They finished 26th overall out of 58 teams, but Kirsten was just overjoyed to be part of the experience. “It was amazing. The people I raced alongside were supportive and made it a fun space. I learnt not to doubt myself or my abilities,” she said.
The significance of her historybreaking stint isn’t lost on her, either. “I feel ecstatic. I am very proud of my achievement, and I am happy to know that all of the hours
A series of 10 monthly golf days, the Lowvelder challenge kicked off with the first edition in February, and will be held every month until the final in November.
Competition days are played in the individual Stableford format, which evens the playing field significantly as players need to rack up points instead of aiming to shoot the lowest score possible. It also makes things a bit easier for the higher handicap golfers to of hard work I put into training were worth it.”
Kirsten has a huge passion for motorsport, having been bitten by the bug at a very young age. “I used to accompany my dad to the racetrack and at first I didn’t like cars or racing, but over time it grew on me ... Now I love it.”
She started her formal training a year ago, and the first manual car she drove was a Toyota GR Yaris. Kirsten is not short on ambition either, as she aspires to compete in Formula 1 one day. For the time being, though, Kirsten will first shift her focus to the 24-hour edition of the iLamuna Endurance Series, later this year.
One of Kirsten’s favourite pastimes is watching Formula 1 on weekends with her father, Larne, where Max Verstappen is her favourite driver. He is, however, not her chosen racing role model. “I look up to my dad and Bianca compete. Each golfer’s five best rounds will be counted to determine the overall winner.
Hosted by Lowvelder, the golf days are made possible through sponsor partnerships with Octopi Smart Solutions and Du Toit-Smuts & Partners Attorneys. Their incredible contributions help to make every golf day simply unforgettable for everyone taking part.
They were of course back on board for the third edition last week, which added
Bustamante [a female driver in F1 Academy],” she said.
Leigh-Anne Auerswald, Kirsten’s mother, is understandably a bit nervous when Kirsten gets behind the wheel. “As her mum, it is nerve-racking for me to watch! I even get nervous when my husband races, but now it’s easier for me to watch him than her,” she quipped, adding just how proud they are of Kirsten.
“We are extremely proud of her. It takes immense courage to race wheel to wheel with some of SA’s best drivers. She deserves all the accolades; she blew all our expectations out of the water. She had to balance schoolwork, being a teenager, screen time and seven hours of travel to track and back on some Sundays. The support and love she received from grizzled racers to spectators’ kids was absolutely humbling. She is a legend!” yet another new winner to the growing list of golfers to emerge victorious on the Lowvelder Golf Challenge days. Garth Snyman added his name to the list by scoring a total of 43 points over his 18 holes.
Franchoa Gilomee placed second with 40 points, while Reno Kruger was third with 39 points. The next and fourth edition of the Lowvelder Golf Challenge will take place on Wednesday May 15.