Dawie’s heart is set on greatness

Now I am not so sure that this principle is always applied in motor racing? Because if your competition is slower than you through, into or out of the corners, you just have to find that tiny opening to force your nose in there and explore the advantage of your superior driving or power capacity in order to win.

You would have to do this within the limits of what is considered safe though, because if not, the penalties can be severe. Enough of the philosophical stuff. Dawie van der Merwe is in grade 11 at Hoërskool Nelspruit and has been accompanying his dad Hentie to rallies since forever.

At age 13 he started racing in the Rebel class, courtesy of the well-known Nic de Witt. In fact Nic allowed him to race in a Datsun GX in the Rookies class in Pietersburg.

The Rebels racing was on tar and at Rietkuil near Middelburg. In 2016 they bought a Toyota Starlet 1400 with which Dawie competed in the Hotrod class.

ALSO READ: A tough time for the racers at the Glenwood oval

Not because the car was really that hot but it taught him a lot about racing. In 2017 they acquired a VW Golf and competed in the 1660 class.

The latter, as Autodealer Lowveld readers will know by now, is extremely competitive and only for the fearless. In this class, everyone is out to prove a point. This is for young guns only, or perhaps for the older guns who just need to keep the young ones’ egos in check.

In 2018 they bought a Pinto from Nic and Dawie started to compete in the 2.0-litre modified class. Now although mom Karin and Dad are avid supporters on all levels, they do not work on the cars. Dawie does a lot himself, but he has support on the mechanical side of things and of course a fully-kitted workshop on the farm.

In 2018 he won the 1660 and the Club championship at the Nelspruit club. And this is when it was decided to upgrade and find an opportunity for him to really explore and develop his racing at the next level. Next step was the VW Motormart Challenge.

This format offers three VW Polo classes: class A for 2.0-litre modifieds, B for 2.0-litres and C for stock-standard 1600ccs. Of course, “stock-standard” is kind of non-existent because drivers may “revise” the mapping of the engine, and they run on semi-slicks, but other than this, the cars are on an even keel.

This leaves it to driver skill to differentiate the really good drivers from the good ones. They teamed up with the well-known Lee Thompson, who takes care of all the technical, maintenance, repairs and preparation of the car and has also became Dawie’s mentor and driving teacher.

Motor racing is both expensive and dangerous, and racing the Motormart Challenge is, as you can imagine, very expensive.  For the current and his first season, Dawie occupies the top spot first in Class C and sixth overall in this format. Zwartkops is Dawie’s favorite track.

It is wide, has fast straights and running four cars adrift is just about standard practice during racing heats in this format. “I am always late on the brakes and this often gives me an advantage. I am also, in general quicker in the wet than most others,” said Dawie.

“This can be attributed to my oval racing experience.” Lee Thompson’s Polo Cup cars are all kitted with a very sophisticated computer which allows them to analyse all the parameters and dynamics: speed, G-force, corner speeds (entrance and exit) after every race and set up the car for specific tracks.

This is also perfect as a teaching tool. Now what does the future hold for this young gun? Well, the intention is to win the Class C championship this year.

Then to move to Class A Modifieds in 2020 and by 2021, his eyes are on the Polo Cup and eventually international racing in V8 super cars.

The intention to study agriculture may well be put on the back-burner depending on the aforementioned intentions being realised or not. And if someone (listen up, everybody) is willing to put up a superb sponsorship – all of this may well happen a lot sooner rather than later.

“This is where Dawie’s talent and passion are – motor racing. It requires serious commitment and there is no time for, outside of schoolwork, any other school activity.

We want him to develop this talent and will support it no matter what,” said Hentie. So watch this space. This lad with his humble disposition, 200kW of passion and a firm handshake is bound to succeed.

Well Dawie, your head is on the block. We are going to hold you to the intentions as expressed above. And, us Mbombelans are a pretty demanding bunch.

“I will not disappoint and thank you for all the support from friends and family,” concluded Dawie.

ALSO READ:Oval racers deliver some sizzling performances