Johann de Jager and his need for speed

Having raced boats and motorbikes for fun, it was only a matter of time before Johann de Jager discovered the joys of racing cars.

Johann joined the Oval Track in 2001 and quickly fell in love with the sport. Shortly thereafter, he lost his left leg due to a blood clot.

“I stopped racing for about 10 years and it has only been the last three years that I have been racing again.”

Since re-entering the motor sport world, Johann has won the Newcastle Oval Track Club Championships twice in a row and has even taken part in the Regional Championships earlier this year, where he came fourth.

Taking the Oval Track world by storm in his trusty 1600 1979 Toyota, Johann said his secret was never to sit back, and he encouraged other people with disabilities to do the same.

“Don’t go and sit back, but rather go and carry on with your life like it was before.”

Living up to his advice, Johann drives a manual car to show he is capable of dominating the track through sheer talent and persistence.

“I just use the hand throttle to pull away and from there it is me and the petrol,” he laughed.