Johannesburg - Kwanda Mokoena, South Africa’s 2022 Endurance Racing Champion and the youngest-ever driver to achieve this feat, will be taking on the Kyalami 9 Hour this weekend, which forms the second round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge Powered by Pirelli.
It’s not hard to see why Kwanda Mokoena is so eager to take to the Kyalami race track this weekend.
As a kid, the young Motorport sensation spent most weekends watching his uncle, Tschops Sipuka race there. It holds a special place in his heart.
“I’m looking forward to being at Kyalami, on the track I grew up around, especially as it will be the first time I am actually racing there,” Mokoena told the Saturday Star.
“Even from before I was born, in my mom's stomach, I was there watching my uncles. So it is a bit of nostalgia going back.”
Mokoena, South Africa’s 2022 Endurance Racing Champion and the youngest-ever driver to achieve this feat, will be taking on the Kyalami 9 Hour this weekend, which forms the second round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge Powered by Pirelli.
“I definitely have a bit of nerves, but I’m trying my best to treat it as much like a normal race weekend as I can, and try to not let it get to me. I want to avoid all the distractions and try and stay ‘in the zone’.”
He says Kyalami is his “home race” which makes it even more special, the track is five minutes away from where he lives.
“Obviously, I'd like our car to finish on top of the South African entrants, that will be wonderful. But even just finishing the race itself will be a huge milestone, for us and the team because this is the first race in a GT3 car, and a great international race, so it will be nice to finish, but it'd be even nicer to be the first South African team.”
The 9-hour race will start this afternoon at 1pm , and amongst other attractions there will be a historic car demonstration and display, and prizes to be won at the Mercedes-Benz simulators at the ATK Arena. The Toyota Gazoo Racing Team will be doing gymkana demonstrations.
Mokoena has put in the hours preparing for the race and says he cannot wait to test himself against drivers from around the world.
“I've tried to put a little bit more focus than I usually do at the gym, and also worked more on my cardio.I also spend lots of time on the simulator, trying to get myself as familiar with the track as I can.”
But apart from the physical preparation, he also had to prepare himself mentally.
“We do one or two hours at a time in a team of three drivers. It is a mental thing. You just have to try and stay as focused as you can throughout your one hour or two hour stints with the team. The hardest thing is that repetition of doing the same thing, and being able to drive at 100% is something that you have to work on.”
Last year, Mokoena drove with Audi factory driver Luca Engstler and 2021 Investchem SA Formula 1600 champion Andrew Rackstraw, to take the win at Killarney Cape Town 9 Hour to secure the championship.
Marius Jackson, who took the youngster under his wing at the beginning of last year to join his MJR Motorsport team and introduced him to GT racing, says Mokoena will join him and driver, Mo Mia at Kyalami this weekend, in their Audi 8 GT3.
The 18-year-old who has been home schooled for the past four years and will finish his matric this year, says he is looking forward to the experience.
“The number of pro drivers that have come in, the skill level is pretty insane. So this is going to be a huge ask. I just want to take away from this weekend as much as I can, try and learn from the pros.”
Mokoena started at an early age, getting behind the wheel for the first time when he was in Grade 1.
“I started racing Go Karts, and in Grade three I started racing in national events. Watching my uncle Tschops made me fall in love with the sport. I grew up in East London, and then moved to Joburg when I was 4. I basically grew up on the track.”
He says his ultimate dream is to become a Formula One driver one day.
“Obviously, everyone's dream is to make it to Formula One - I still haven't scratched that out, but an obtainable dream for the foreseeable future would be to become a factory driver. To be able to race as a career, to travel around Europe, America and be paid to do what I love.”
He says his family is incredibly proud of his achievements.
“I would not be where I am now without my parents. It's been a roller coaster since the start. We've had our ups and our downs but they've always supported me. Even financially when things weren’t the best, they always made sure that I'd make it to race day.”
HIs father Kwame said his family was from the former Transkei and they all loved speed.
“The most significant thing was when Kwanda’s uncle Tschops [Sipuka] was discovered by Terry Moss and things took off. Kwanda literally grew up going to the track and listening to cars when Tschops was racing, so by the age of two he had been to every race track in the country.
“Terry Moss advised we should get Kwanda into karting, and so he has been competing since he was six or seven, and winning championships.”