International events to drive young talent into motorsport
As the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit in Midrand still aims to host a Formula 1 Grand Prix on the African continent, the CEO of Motorsport South Africa, Vic Maharaj, said that major international motorsport events on home soil are vital for the long-term growth of the sport.
"When you have international events, it inspires the young kids. It gives them something to aim for. The parents see it, and they say, okay, that's pretty cool. I want to be involved in it – I want my kids to be involved in it. And then they start at the lower rungs of the ladder, which is karting," Maharaj said in a recent conversation with Lights Out.
While Maharaj believes the chance to see motorsport live will encourage the next generation of talents to get a foot in the door, South Africa and the continent as a whole still struggle with bottlenecks at the point of exporting such talents to Europe.
"Unfortunately, if you're concerned about the cost of racing on the African continent, the cost of racing in Europe or America or Australia is orders of magnitude bigger. So it really is unfortunately a situation where the parents or the sponsors who are involved can afford it, because it needs to be a sustainable model. Because if you go up overseas for one year and come back, you really achieve nothing. You have to really have the courage of your conviction and the financial muscle to be able to see through as much as possible."
Maharaj also provided clarity on the developments at Kyalami.
"I think Kyalami is fantastic. It's, in my opinion, Africa's best racetrack and racing facility. It's world-class. They're looking pretty much a fair way down the path of getting their Grade 2 FIA certification. We've already conducted the Grade 2 inspection. What that basically means is everything except Formula 1, but they've also had their plans approved for Grade 1 implementation."
MOTORSPORT IN SA
Despite the rise in popularity of Formula 1 and motorsport as a result of the docutainment series Drive to Survive, the sport still retains its status as an elite sport in South Africa, explained Maharaj.
"I think the reality in Africa and in South Africa is that motorsport is seen as a niche sport. That means it's not on the same level or not seen to be at the same level as rugby, soccer, cricket. Those are the three of the main sports, so we see it as a niche sport."
The sport’s status as a niche sport drives difficulties in funding, which, in turn, gives rise to developmental gaps. Maharaj, however, is adamant that Africa must find local solutions in addressing these shortfalls.
“If you then want to take regulations and implement them in Africa for, let's say, a national, regional, or club championship, you have to Africanise the regulations. What we do for our national karting championship is not adopt the FIA regulations. We make the regulations that are applicable to South Africa, so we've got to make, in my case, a South African solution for a South African problem," he said.
Despite developmental challenges, Maharaj noted that there is much reason to celebrate in South African motorsport due to the success of numerous drivers and riders, including Brad Binder (MotoGP), Shaldon and Kelvin van der Linde (endurance and GT racing) and Henk Lategan (rally-raid).
