By Jehran Naidoo for Auto Rush
“About 10 minutes after the accident, I got a call from Morné Oosthuizen saying he had a new car for me. I couldn’t believe it, the amount of support I received from the racing community was overwhelming.”
This is the first thing that comes to Dian Meyer’s mind when asked what he remembers most about his high speed crash at Tarlton Raceway.
For Meyer and his wife Anja, their two children Xavier and Skyler, parents Deon and Jana, his sister Zandre and her husband Danie, family day with the full-on picnic spread, drinks and music, generally happens at one of the racetracks around South Africa.
It’s a tradition that’s been going on for around five years, since Meyer put the street racing scene in his rear view and decided to enter the track.
Like any professional sport, drag racing comes with its challenges – mentally, physically, emotionally, and in this high-speed game, a whole lot of financially.
All four aspects of which he experienced after a high-speed crash on August 10, 2024, in his beloved Toyota Corolla “Stitch”, was named by his daughter Skyler due to her fondness of the movie “Lilo and Stitch”. Stitch was initially a naturally aspirated 1981 Toyota Corolla ‘boxie’ with a Lexus V8 and nitrous in it.
Stitch later morphed into a turbo 1JZ….
Born and bred in Krugersdorp, Gauteng, Meyer has had his fair share of scares out on the streets, none of which, however, compare to the +200 km/h crash that he walked away from.
“There was a street to strip event at Tarlton about four weeks ago. The only reason we took the car out was to test it. Because a couple weeks before that during Nationals at Dezzi, the car was performing really well at altitude. So much so that we had to turn the boost down.
“If I recall correctly, we snapped three sets of engine mounting bolts at Dezzi that weekend because the car was making so much power. In Gauteng, we usually launch at around 1.4 bar and end off the race at around 2.4 bar boost. But we finished at Dezzi with 1.8 bar.
“So we went out to Tarlton to test and check if it was making the same power because we came off a strong performance at Dezzi but then all hell broke loose…
“I was going up against this Civic. I was in the right lane and it was a good race. I took him from start to finish. I am on the top end, doing over 200 and then all of a sudden the left rear wheel seizes and the car swerves left a bit and then pulls right and slams into the barrier.
“It was a complete right-off. I estimate hitting the barrier around 210 or maybe a little over that. If it was not for my roll rage, I would not have walked away from that,” Meyer said.
Having everyone in his team just witness the wipeout, you could only imagine the emotions at Tarlton that afternoon. First came the tears of sorrow and then once he stepped out and made sure he was okay, came the tears of joy, Meyer said.
As for Dian himself, ‘hy was hartseer’ because, well… the white Corolla was in pristine condition. From the interior to the custom paint job under the tappet cover of the 1JZ, Stitch had personality and suave.
The 1JZ motor, with a stock crank and rods, boosted by a PSR GTX 35-84R is what powered Stitch in its heyday. A M80 differential at the rear end with a set of 15 inch 26×10 Mickey Thompson’s was fitted into the 1983 ‘Baby Cressida’.
Power was delivered to the car by a Toyota Hilux D4D Manual gearbox. Perhaps the D4D delivered a little too much power on the day though?
Jokes. There is no such thing as ‘too much’ power.
The modest set-up gave Dian some good times and even better memories. But Stitch 2.0 would meet its end at Tarlton on the afternoon of August 10.
Drag racers often wonder why Motorsport South Africa [MSA] can be a bit stiff at times with the whole safety aspect but when you witness crashes at this speed, you begin to realise quickly how the rules can save you out there.
The same community of racers, often stubborn and highly competitive, stood behind Meyer after he crashed and lifted him up, not with words…but with something even more valuable to drag racers – CAR PARTS.
“About 10 minutes after the accident, I got a call from Morne Oosthuizen saying he had a new car for me. I couldn’t believe it, the amount of support I received from the racing community was overwhelming. JP Joubert checked up on the car about a week later to make sure it was okay,” Meyer said.
The same engine and turbo set-up from Stitch 2.0 will be going into the new build. Besides getting a free car, Natie Booysen gave him a set of wheels and car parts for Stitch 3.0.
Dullan and Henry from HRD Performance pledged to do all the bodywork and paint job for the new car.
Gunther Brokhorst from GM Generators is assisting with the fabrication of the new roll cage.
Graham Susman of Sustech said he will be helping set-up the new suspension, rewiring the car and tuning it back to peak performance.
Meyer also wanted to thank Frikkie and Etienne from Fast Fab for their help and allowing him to use their premises to work in, Rico Raath from Centurion Select for the new diff parts and gearbox sponsor.
Rick from ultimate racing supplied him with the 4 link parts and plates.
JJ Joubert from Flora Auto Clinic and Brandon Blucher who helped strip the old and new car for the conversion.
Dian also wanted to send a huge thank you to Juan du Toit and the team from 011 Street Society for their support.