Mbombela teen races to 9-hour history
At only 15 years old Kirsten Auerswald has made motorsport history by competing in the Eezi 9 Hours of iLamuna Race on Sunday April 21, becoming the youngest female driver to ever take part in the race.
A young petrolhead from Mbombela, Kirsten Auerswald, has made history as the youngest female driver to take part in the Eezi 9 Hours of iLamuna Race, doing so at just 15 years old. Kirsten, a learner of Curro Nelspruit, was part of the Lemon Aid team that took part in the race at Red Star Raceway in Delmas on Sunday April 21.
They finished 26th overall out of 58 teams, but Kirsten was just overjoyed to be part of the experience.
“It was amazing. The people I raced alongside were supportive and made it a fun space. I learnt not to doubt myself or my abilities,” she said.
The significance of her historybreaking stint isn’t lost on her, either.
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“I feel ecstatic. I am very proud of my achievement, and I am happy to know that all of the hours of hard work I put into training were worth it.” Kirsten has a huge passion for motorsport, having been bitten by the bug at a very young age.”
“I used to accompany my dad to the racetrack and at first I didn’t like cars or racing, but over time it grew on me … Now I love it.”
She started her formal training a year ago, and the first manual car she drove was a Toyota GR Yaris.
Kirsten is not short on ambition either, as she aspires to compete in Formula 1 one day. For the time being, though, Kirsten will first shift her focus to the 24-hour edition of the iLamuna Endurance Series, later this year.
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One of Kirsten’s favourite pastimes is watching Formula 1 on weekends with her father, Larne, where Max Verstappen is her favourite driver. He is, however, not her chosen racing role model. “I look up to my dad and Bianca Bustamante [a female driver in F1 Academy],” she said.
Leigh-Anne Auerswald, Kirsten’s mother, is understandably a bit nervous when Kirsten gets behind the wheel “As her mum, it is nerve-racking for me to watch! I even get nervous when my husband races, but now it’s easier for me to watch him than her,” she quipped, adding just how proud they are of Kirsten.
“We are extremely proud of her. It takes immense courage to race wheel to wheel with some of SA’s best drivers. She deserves all the accolades; she blew all our expectations out of the water. She had to balance schoolwork, being a teenager, screen time and seven hours of travel to track and back on some Sundays. The support and love she received from grizzled racers to spectators’ kids was absolutely humbling. She is a legend!”
