South African motorsport: Why we're born to RACE

The South African

3 days ago

South African motorsport is on the way back to its rightful position within the global community. While talk of a long-awaited F1 return to the country continues to swell, it's our talented drivers who are truly putting South African motorsport back in the limelight. A trio of South African rising stars, all under the age of 30, are driving better than ever in 2025.
Kelvin (29) and Sheldon van der Linde (26) and Jordan Pepper (28) are plying their trade in so many top international series it's hard to keep up. Pepper secured yet more victories this weekend in the Intercontinental GT Series. While Kelvin leads that self-same championship and Sheldon put in another excellent GTP drive at IMSA's last stop in Road America. Kelvin van der Linde wins the 2025 Nurburgring 24 Hour. A race his legendary father could only have wished to race in. Image: File
The van der Lindes are sons of multiple Touring Car champ, Shaun van der Linde. Both picked up paid drives in Europe with Audi/BMW and even made history as the first brother pairing, racing and winning in various categories. Only a select few drivers ever make careers in South African motorsport, fewer still go on to win races and championships internationally. And that's what Pepper and the van der Lindes are doing right now!
However, for many, the halcyon days of South African motorsport have their roots in the past. As with any sporting code, big-ticket heroes come and go, and cross-over popularity is fluid. We're talking about the days when South African motorsport made the front pages. Should such a treatise include the very first motor race held in South Africa, staged in Cape Town back in 1903? Or how about the swinging '60s, when Jim Clark and Graham Hill battled for Formula One supremacy at Prince George Circuit in East London? This was also the time of the legendary Springbok Series that commanded a full grid of Le Mans and Can-Am sports prototypes driven by the world's best pros. South African motorsport's one and only Formula 1 World Champion, Jody Scheckter for Ferrari in 1979. Image: File
Of course, in 1979, we had our one and only Formula One world champion, Jody Scheckter. Driving for the legendary Enzo Ferrari no less. Eventually South Africa's troubled politics put paid to international motorsport. Until a brief return of the South African Grand Prix post-Apartheid, which saw Senna, Prost, Mansell, Schumacher going wheel-to-wheel at Kyalami in '92 and '93. Glorious times but short-lived.
However, when talking South African motorsport, this author is adamant the Super Touring Car era of the '90s was a notable high-water mark. For instance, there was live TV coverage from the national broadcaster. Race drivers of the time were mentioned in the same breath as cricket and rugby stars. Critically, it was perhaps the only true era of 'paid drivers' in South African motorsport. As multiple SA champ, Deon Joubert, explains: 'You were a success if someone paid you to race. I had a professional racing career while other people who wanted to race cars would pay big money to do so.' Kyalami the last time it hosted F1, in 1993. It was also the proving ground for hard-fought Super Touring races. Image: File
It all began with Group N saloon car racing in the '80s, which followed a set of regulations for 'standard' production vehicles with minimal modifications, often referred to as the 'Showroom Class'. In turn, this led to the wholesale adoption of the Super Touring class in the '90s. With it, and clever administration of the series by Graham Duxbury, came big buy-in from manufacturers and outside sponsors. Based on a formula devised in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC), the cars looked similar to regular production cars and engine capacity was capped at 2.0 litres.
However, beneath the stock-looking metal, the cars were thoroughbred racing machines that smashed lap records at every circuit. Better still, it was a worldwide class and at the end of each year there was a World Super Touring Car event held in Europe. Mike Briggs, Shaun van der Linde, Deon Joubert, Nic De Waal and Giniel de Villiers were the heroes of the day. As were their cars, the EnviroCar BMW, Southern Sun Opel and BP Nissan. These were the halcyon days of South African motorsport that hopefully we're on our way to reviving. But tell us what you think …
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