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Take your kids on a less travelled road of motorsports
BY PHUTI MPYANE
It could be argued that growing up during the dark period of apartheid, black youngsters wouldn’t be expected to have a keen interest in motorsport, yet this was largely a falsehood. Soccer, which I happened to be adept at, was the expected norm.
As a grown up adult on the cusp of hitting the big Five-Oh, I recognise that maybe I was cut from a different cloth from my peers, and my own Father hadn’t recognised this. For instance, Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates rang true and hard in my peer and other circles yet, there I was as a 10 year old, circa 1985, and a big fan of Moroka Swallows.
Many young boys in those days can trace their football allegiances to a Father, Uncle or peers in general. Mine has no origins to some level. My Father was not a soccer fan, and neither were most of my immediate male relatives.
Memorable influences were a Swallows player who gave me the first glimpse of a ‘Bicycle Kick.’ The team’s Burgundy kit, perhaps, too, which I would later don for the St Martin’s Prep soccer senior team but mixed with a striped white and powder blue shirt, ala’ Argentina’s national team.
It’s a period where I found myself engaged in Provincial soccer team trials as proof of my above average soccer skills, but I digress. Back to motorsport, then, which I never had an opportunity to cultivate from a young age due to the rampant lack of exposure to my race cohort, and the exorbitant funds needed to be fully within if the opportunity presented itself.
My late and close family friend, Gugu Zulu, cracked it into the racing fraternity, though. He adds to the earlier reference that indeed, there were many of us who preferred steering wheels over Shibobos, but there’s also spinning, right? The other atypical black motorsport is not my thing at all. I’m more of a rally and drifting fan, and I’d argue that spinning BMWs is less of a sport rather than more of entertainment. It’s an argument for another day.
Once the bug has bitten you are hooked, right, and evidenced by my peers who love football to this day, and seen through DStv satellite dishes poking from their roofs. The TV channel also offers Motorsport, but I’ve moved on to apps such as F1.com and YouTube for my speed kicks.
It’s a big moment for me, to go racing, and I can’t help looking back to my roots. I’m not sure there ever was a racing driver born in Tembisa Township. It’s somewhat a culmination of unrealised wishes, and it coincides with Lewis Hamilton’s debut at Ferrari. Now you have two of us to watch, and there’s a number of Kasi born or bred individuals involved in racing this year.
My young friend Mandla Mdakane also races a Toyota, in the SA Rally scene and on track. We’ll unite in the pits at Killarney. There’s also 16-year old Vatiswa who’s joining the GR Cup team driving in a GR 86 sports car. I can’t wait to witness her outings.
Being an official works driver will also afford me the opportunity to learn much more about racing, and I will meet racing heroes such as Leeroy Poulter. The veteran racer who used to terrorise opponents is our team manager. Phillip Kekana, another prime example of Kasi-bred motorsport passion, promised to come and say ‘hello’ at the races.
As a grown up adult on the cusp of hitting the big Five-Oh, I recognise that maybe I was cut from a different cloth from my peers, and my own Father hadn’t recognised this. For instance, Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates rang true and hard in my peer and other circles yet, there I was as a 10 year old, circa 1985, and a big fan of Moroka Swallows.
Many young boys in those days can trace their football allegiances to a Father, Uncle or peers in general. Mine has no origins to some level. My Father was not a soccer fan, and neither were most of my immediate male relatives.
Memorable influences were a Swallows player who gave me the first glimpse of a ‘Bicycle Kick.’ The team’s Burgundy kit, perhaps, too, which I would later don for the St Martin’s Prep soccer senior team but mixed with a striped white and powder blue shirt, ala’ Argentina’s national team.
It’s a period where I found myself engaged in Provincial soccer team trials as proof of my above average soccer skills, but I digress. Back to motorsport, then, which I never had an opportunity to cultivate from a young age due to the rampant lack of exposure to my race cohort, and the exorbitant funds needed to be fully within if the opportunity presented itself.
My late and close family friend, Gugu Zulu, cracked it into the racing fraternity, though. He adds to the earlier reference that indeed, there were many of us who preferred steering wheels over Shibobos, but there’s also spinning, right? The other atypical black motorsport is not my thing at all. I’m more of a rally and drifting fan, and I’d argue that spinning BMWs is less of a sport rather than more of entertainment. It’s an argument for another day.
Once the bug has bitten you are hooked, right, and evidenced by my peers who love football to this day, and seen through DStv satellite dishes poking from their roofs. The TV channel also offers Motorsport, but I’ve moved on to apps such as F1.com and YouTube for my speed kicks.
My first entry of this blog happens at the Spur restaurant at OR Tambo, a favourite source of many breakfasts in the past. Instead of the usual new vehicle launch program, a regularity of 21 years, I’m about to board a plane to Cape Town for my first ever race at Killarney circuit instead. I got the invite to join the Gazoo Racing SA Media Challenge.
The competition is official, meaning I have a racing licence. The challenge pits representatives of SA media houses in a battle of racing supremacy in the MY25 Toyota GR Yaris. You are unlikely to see many of the little hatches, which I’ve already experienced on the road.
It attracts different owner characteristics with a taste for fast hatchbacks other than the typical Golf GTI/R cohort.
Its makeup speaks to what I allude to earlier; being cut from a different cloth. It’s powered by a small 1.6-litre turbocharged three cylinder engine. It’s a little ball of fun that whips out 210kW and 400Nm. That’s more than a GTI but in a smaller body, and it’s equipped with an all-wheel drive system. The wonder of the GR Yaris is that it’s designed to be driven fast on tarmac or gravel; a mutation that puts it in a class of its own.
It attracts different owner characteristics with a taste for fast hatchbacks other than the typical Golf GTI/R cohort.
Its makeup speaks to what I allude to earlier; being cut from a different cloth. It’s powered by a small 1.6-litre turbocharged three cylinder engine. It’s a little ball of fun that whips out 210kW and 400Nm. That’s more than a GTI but in a smaller body, and it’s equipped with an all-wheel drive system. The wonder of the GR Yaris is that it’s designed to be driven fast on tarmac or gravel; a mutation that puts it in a class of its own.
It’s a big moment for me, to go racing, and I can’t help looking back to my roots. I’m not sure there ever was a racing driver born in Tembisa Township. It’s somewhat a culmination of unrealised wishes, and it coincides with Lewis Hamilton’s debut at Ferrari. Now you have two of us to watch, and there’s a number of Kasi born or bred individuals involved in racing this year.
My young friend Mandla Mdakane also races a Toyota, in the SA Rally scene and on track. We’ll unite in the pits at Killarney. There’s also 16-year old Vatiswa who’s joining the GR Cup team driving in a GR 86 sports car. I can’t wait to witness her outings.
Being an official works driver will also afford me the opportunity to learn much more about racing, and I will meet racing heroes such as Leeroy Poulter. The veteran racer who used to terrorise opponents is our team manager. Phillip Kekana, another prime example of Kasi-bred motorsport passion, promised to come and say ‘hello’ at the races.
The Soweto-born racer who is nicknamed the “Township Tornado” holds the record of being the first Black African to win a racing championship in SA. The odds of winning it are unknown at this point, but I’m hoping my past experiences with fast cars will assist.
There are a number of venues from which to watch motorsports. Jozi is the mecca with two top-tier venues in Kyalami in Midrand and Zwartkops near Laudium. There’s also a smaller venue in Meyerton, too.
Mpumalanga has Red Star which is located halfway to Witbank, and Cape Town has Killarney. The NW, Limpopo and KZN have smaller and less used facilities. In fact, once there was a dream project to build a high-end Estate within the Roy Hesketh circuit — a forgotten venue with a rich history of motorsport in the Province of the Zulu nation.
There are numerous karting race tracks everywhere, including makeshift tracks at shopping malls where youngsters can plant the seed of being racing drivers. Google and take your Laaities and daughters there to expose them to the craft. You just may find a latent talent in that young boy or girl who loves cars. As a fifty-old madala there’s no way I can be the next Lewis Hamilton. The ball is in your court.
There are a number of venues from which to watch motorsports. Jozi is the mecca with two top-tier venues in Kyalami in Midrand and Zwartkops near Laudium. There’s also a smaller venue in Meyerton, too.
Mpumalanga has Red Star which is located halfway to Witbank, and Cape Town has Killarney. The NW, Limpopo and KZN have smaller and less used facilities. In fact, once there was a dream project to build a high-end Estate within the Roy Hesketh circuit — a forgotten venue with a rich history of motorsport in the Province of the Zulu nation.
There are numerous karting race tracks everywhere, including makeshift tracks at shopping malls where youngsters can plant the seed of being racing drivers. Google and take your Laaities and daughters there to expose them to the craft. You just may find a latent talent in that young boy or girl who loves cars. As a fifty-old madala there’s no way I can be the next Lewis Hamilton. The ball is in your court.
- Phuti Mpyane is a South African motoring journalist with over 16 years of experience in the automotive industry. He is currently a senior motoring writer at Business Day, a prominent South African publication. Mpyane has contributed to various South African automotive and lifestyle publications, such as Sowetan, The Sunday Times, and Cars In Action, where he previously served as editor. He is also recognised as a member of the South African Guild of Motoring Journalists (SAGMJ) and has experience as an advanced driving instructor and accredited vehicle performance tester. Follow him on X (Twitter) @TPetrosexual
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