SupaDrift silver for Gavin Puren
Good news for Gavin Puren is that he and his brother Brendan have received their 'ticket' for the Gymkhana Grid at Carnival City on December 1.
Gavin Puren of Port Edward finished second overall in the 2018 SupaDrift series Pro Class, which was a satisfying one place improvement on last year.
He was first in KwaZulu-Natal and also named ‘driver of the year’. Jason Webb from Cape Town was the winner. Past champion Shane Gutzeit of Shelly Beach placed second in the province.
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Gavin’s father Trevor won the Pro1 Class and his brother Brendan claimed a top 10 spot in the Pro Class.
Gavin did at least have the consolation of knowing that he can beat Jason, having done so at SupaDrift05, held at Dezzi South Coast Raceway not too long ago.
Unfortunately, in the last race of the season, SupaDrift06 held at Carnival City in Johannesburg, in the final against Jason, he broke his drive shaft which punctured his fuel tank and so he could not complete all his runs.
The event coincided with the Riaz Alibhai Memorial Cup, which was something Gavin really wanted to win in honour of Riaz who died four years ago in a motor accident.
In reflecting on his year on the track, he was mostly satisfied.
“It’s a good feeling. I had a little bit of bad luck at times, but the overall result is just brilliant for me,” he said.
“This year we set up the car a bit differently, and raced on Zestino tyres which meant I was able to keep up with the others. That evened the playing fields and helped me compete on a more level footing.”
He said the atmosphere at race days this year had been quite ‘chilled’, with all the usual chirps flying around.
“It’s a lot of fun racing, plus I love to try and win. But I also very much enjoy all the team work that goes on behind the scenes,” he said.
“The guys generally encourage one another but once racing starts, it’s all or nothing. Exactly how it should be.”
Trevor won the Pro Class 1 section and so will most likely make the move up the Pro Class next year.
Brendan managed a top 10 in the Pro Class, which probably wasn’t as high as he would have wanted, but he missed a race early in the season
Gavin admitted that racing does require a certain level of skill, but that anyone can get in a car and compete to some degree if they put their mind to it.
“It looks easier than it is, but at the same time it’s also not impossible. Some women are starting to take to the sport, which is great,” he said.
But not his wife Juanette. Not yet anyway.
Probably the next member of the family who will race is his son Seth, who turned three years old last month. Give him a few more years…
“He absolutely loves it, watching the guys do donuts and the like,” said Gavin.
Good news for Gavin and Brendan is that they have received their ‘ticket’ for the Gymkhana Grid at Carnival City on December 1.
This is a massive event and it’s a great honour to be able to take part, with international drivers making the trip to be there.
In the meantime, he’s taking a holiday to New Zealand where’ll he’ll meet up with a friend to discuss plans for his car for next season.
He thanked his numerous sponsors, especially Tyre Mart Shelly Beach, Vanos BMW Parts Centre, East Coast Scratch and Dent and M Projects.
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