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Drag racing in KZN: making memories and cherishing old ones

By Jehran Naidoo for POST Newspaper

It’s a Saturday morning, you’re at Dezzi Raceway on the south of KwaZulu-Natal, the sun is peeking over the coastline, a light breeze is in the air, tainted with the smell of methanol while thunderous 16 valves are firing off in the background.

 Your family and friends are with you, and it’s a beautiful day for racing.  

For people into the racing scene, this is the dream.

The sport of drag racing has churned up quite a negative reputation in the eyes of society. But, illegal street racing and drag racing on the track are not the same. 

For most racers who take the time [and lots of money] to make their way to one of the two race tracks available in KZN, either Dezzi Raceway in Port Shepstone or Mkuze Airfield in uMkhanyakude Municipality, it’s about passion, hard work and results but mostly to have fun. 

For the Govender family of Savannah Park, racing their 1978 smurf blue Mazda 323, FE 2 litre turbo powered street car, is about cherishing the memory of a late wife and mother.

Trevor Govender, 42, a diesel mechanic, lost his wife Charlene last year after a battle with breast cancer. Besides Trevor, Charlene Govender also left behind her two sons Tyler, 15 and Cree, 11. 

Trevor Govender on the starting line at Dezzi Raceway

At the time of her death, life became chaotic, with Trevor spending a lot of time on the road because of work while Charlene had to manage the household all while fighting breast cancer. This meant the family never got to spend a lot of time together and ultimately, Trevor, Tyler and Cree would never spend any more time with her. 

But then their quaint, under-dog Mazda 323 became a bridge that reunited their family.

“It was the first car I bought. When I started dating my wife, it was the car I had. We took drives and went out on dates in that car. I even taught her how to drive in that car, so it was really sentimental to me. That is why I bought it again and decided to make it my project. 

“It was an incomplete project when we got it, so we had to put a lot of work into it but I wanted to do it because it meant me and the boys spending more time together after she passed. That period we went through was rough so we needed something to move on and still stay connected to each other.

“We started building it around February last year and finally got it completed and ran it for the first time on Saturday [June 29] at Dezzi Raceway. 

“It’s not the exact same colour, the one I had back then was a bit darker blue than this but I’m sure my wife would have still loved to take it down the track. She was fearless behind the wheel and even had her fair share of street racing with a Datsun 180U that I owned. 

“Having the boys there was even more special because all of their hard work that went into the car from the time we started was validated in a way. They got to see their work go down the track and they were lucky enough to sit in it. 

“That is something I want to impart on them, that it’s important to push on even when life doesn’t always go your way. With whatever parts you have left, you can still go on,” Trevor said. 

While the Govender family get a chance to make new memories, 35-year-old Sahir Mahajaj from Newlands West goes to track to remember the times with his father, Rishi, who passed away 17 years ago. 

Rishi used to take part in a “sort of Gymkhana autocross” style of events, which could be considered a mix between drifting and spinning, according to Maharaj. 

Sahir used to accompany his father to events that were frequently held at the Durban Workshop, Newlands Shoprite Mall and Mason’s Mall during the late 1990’s. 

Sahir Maharaj next to his navy blue SR20 swapped Golf 1

“I can clearly remember him taking me with his team to all these events when I was around 5 and 6-years-old. They’d all be dressed up to race. Preparing the car before the event. 

“The thing I loved most about that whole experience were the loud noises, the smell of the fuel, how thick the smoke used to be and the rubber all over. I was hooked from then on. I was amazed to see cars doing those stunts. 

“Racing has stuck with me since then, and today I race my own Golf 1. It has a Nissan SR20 engine in it which sounds really unique and I think I wanted the car to have a nice sound because the noise was the thing that pulled me to racing in the first place. 

“I tried to stop racing because of how much time and money it took but I honestly think it came back to me calling. I sold a Caddy bakkie that I had and didn’t race for two years, then someone asked me to race for their team. We eventually parted ways and then I got the SR20 Golf 1.

“The feeling of race day is unexplainable, your body and senses are on another level. The adrenaline is unmatched. Nothing else can give you the feeling of sitting on the line and watching those lights go green,” Maharaj said. 

Jarrod and his son Christian at a race evevent at Dezzi Raceway

Gas Motor Show organiser and KZN Drag Racing administrator Harry Naidoo, 42, said that drag racing and motorsport in general is more than enough “to learn all you need to learn about being a better person.” 

Besides the fun and the opportunity to make good memories, racing on a track prompts you to become a more hard working individual, Naidoo believes. 

Getting up early to prepare, spending weeks before the event preparing and dedicating time to a cause are valuable lessons children need to learn, he said.

“Motorsport is everything you need to learn about being successful in life. Not just drag racing but motorsport in general. Waking up early and prepping your tires, your fuel, making sure the car is ready to race teaches you the value of hard work. 

Brian Moll, his partner Stephanie and their children at Mkuze Airfield during a drag racing event.

“When people introduce their children to that life, it’s even better, because they are soaked in it from a young age. It teaches them responsibility and takes them away from an idle mind. They always have to be hands on when they are at the track because there is a lot going on. 

“The spillage of that is your child understanding the dangers of these machines because they are not toys to be played with. Today we see far too often parents buying their teenage children fast cars that are capable of doing 10 and 11 second quarter miles out of the factory. 

“What’s even better to see is the amount of women in motorsport today. Our women are seriously flying, from the drags to spinning,” Naidoo said. 

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