Racing around the track

South Africa’s racing tracks have been a home away from home for me my entire life. I was on the sidelines from two weeks old supporting my father who has raced sports cars since the early 1990’s, so I’ve been surrounded by speed and noise for as long as I can remember.

I started racing Go Karts at the beginning of 2012 when I was 14 years old after messing around on computer and PlayStation simulators as soon as I could fit in them properly. I competed in the F400 endurance karting championship with two of my best friends sharing the kart with me in the six-hour long races. It was after this year that my dad put a huge amount of faith in me and bought me my first racing car, a Rhema 2 Formula Vee single seater.

We raced for two seasons as privateers just trying our best to make a name for ourselves and hopefully attract potential sponsors. In 2015 we got our big break and a contract was signed with Nashua and we were able to get our car prepared properly. In the eight-race season we walked away with five podiums and one race victory which led to second overall in the National Championship. This has been the highlight of my career so far and has fuelled me to strive for more success.

This year saw us step up to the top saloon car racing series for young aspiring drivers, the Engen Volkswagen Cup. It has been the toughest season plagued with crashes, mechanical difficulties and the intense internal politics surrounding this series. The highlight was being fourth overall in the Junior Championship at the second round in Cape Town. I’ve learned a huge amount and will use this experience to hopefully reach my goal of being a National Champion if I’m able to find backing for the 2017 season.