BIG WEEKEND LOOMING FOR SA RACERS ABROAD

Several South African drivers will be racing across the world over the weekend of 16-17 April, as what is believed to be a record number of South African motorsportsmen begin or continue to chase their international dreams in several top series.

The action starts in Germany and England Saturday afternoon when SA duo Kelvin van der Linde and Jordan Pepper race in the opening round of the ADAC GT Masters at Oschersleben, while young Jonathan Aberdein makes his ADAC German Formula 4 debut at the same meeting. Across the Channel meanwhile, Eugene Denyssen and Sisa Ngebulana will be racing in British Formula 3 at Brands Hatch in England, while Stephen Simpson will race IMSA sports cars over the pond Long Beach California.

Former SA A1 GP driver Simpson finds himself at the top end of the US IMSA Prototype Challenge championship following victory in the Daytona 24 and fourth place in the 12 hours of Sebring and heads west with another victory on his mind this weekend.

2014 ADAC GT Masters champion van der Linde switches to a new Audi team with Car Collection in an all-new R8 LMS, while 2015 race winner Pepper is one of the Bentley Boys in the new Team ABT Continental GT. The South Africans will face up to a top class field of international superstars driving the world’s finest racing supercars when the tenth ADAC GT Masters that kicks off on Saturday.

Double Cape karting champion Aberdein meanwhile begins his overseas race career in the German Formula 4 series where he will face up to the likes of Mick, son of the great Michael Schumacher, while another multiple Cape and national karting champion Denyssen starts his second British F3 race, where he and Ngebulana will be hoping for better luck and clear weather at Brands Hatch.

Simpson, van der Linde, Pepper, Aberdein, Deneyssen and Ngebulana are among a growing list of top South African drivers who have headed to fly the flag overseas. All of them deserve every ounce of recognition. Good luck to them all…

Image: 2014 ADAC GT Masters champion Kelvin van der Linde is one of several SA drivers competing abroad 16-17 April