Home Race Reflections.
It’s fair to say my anticipation leading up to the week of February 20th was growing like a throb; blood pulsing harder and senses heightened. It was Cape Town E-Prix week and wow was I hyped! Equally though, the anticipation was countered by frustration at the fact that South Africa’s only two international motorsport events had been planned to take place on the same day at opposite ends of the country.
I know very well these days that racing calendars are notoriously difficult to organise given how much sporting equipment needs to be shipped around the world well in advance for it to arrive in time for an event. In Europe and America it’s very common for racing events to clash on weekends because there are so many of them all year round. For the past 3 years we’ve had one single international event, the Joburg Kyalami 9hr which is a GT3-based endurance race. Before that the last international event was the 1993 South African Grand Prix won by Prost after an intense battle with Senna and Schumacher.
So to have a second big event, the fifth round of the Formula E Championship to be held in Cape Town, join our shores but for it to collide with the Jozi event was disappointing. Especially as the Jozi event holds a nostalgic place in my heart as last year’s race was the first major motorsport event I worked in. To think that was only a year ago and all I have had the privilege of experiencing since then, is really humbling.
The local hype for the Cape Town E-Prix was tangible within the racing & car community. A sudden influx of other automotive freelance work in the days leading up to the event made managing my schedule tricky. I was fully focused on work and fully focused on FE. Local hero Kelvin was set to drive in the ABT Cupra car and so that made everyone even more excited - a fellow South African ripping it up around the streets of the mother city. His brother Sheldon on the other hand, was gearing up to race in the Joburg 9hr. As much as I would have loved to be there, I had to focus on Cape Town. Despite all the work I’ve done for the brothers over the past year, I had to keep my focus firmly on the people paying me, Hankook. That is who I was working for, so that took priority.
Early morning shoots on Tuesday and Wednesday, and another double shoot on Wednesday evening made finding time to edit all that before the race weekend kicked off on Friday rather difficult. If that wasn’t enough, a very last-minute call from a client in Joburg asking me to come up to Kyalami for the day on Thursday to document some of the practice sessions and make a little documentary about the journey of racing in the 9hr, really threw a spanner in the works. With the flight booked Wednesday afternoon, the schedule got pretty crazy.
I got up at 4am on Thursday to catch the 6am flight up to Joburg. Tried to edit as much from Wednesday night’s shoot on the 2 hour flight. Landed and went straight to the track, spent all day on my feet shooting; documenting not only my client’s story, but squeezing in time to film some content for Sheldon and my good friend Andrew as well. Then a short night’s sleep at another friend’s place not far from the track, before another 4am wakeup to get to the 6am return flight to Cape Town. More editing on the plane and in the Uber from the airport to the Cape Town paddock, arriving in a sweat because I still needed to collect my media accreditation before the the official track walk started at 10am. I think my contact from Hankook was getting nervous I wouldn’t make it all in time.
I made it. Just. From then on I was fully focused on Formula E. The paddock, the pit walk, the fans, the atmosphere, the celebrities, there was so much going on and it was just a joy to be part of it, right in the hustle and bustle. Media access gets you closer to the action than almost any other job. As a team member you obviously have direct access to your box, but with media I have access to all the teams, all the locations, all the grandstands, it’s pretty special.
But I do always find it difficult to absolutely appreciate a moment when I’m working and completely zoned in. I’m infinitely thankful to be doing my dream job, but am also aware that I almost never have a true fan experience. Inside I get super excited but I don’t jump for joy like I might otherwise when I’m standing next to or even working for my racing heroes, because I have a job to do.
Once you’re in, a tiny spark of magic is lost.
I try to take brief moments to stop and observe where I am and what I’m doing. To slow down and resist the rush and hustle. It’s not easy, but when I do, my heart skips a beat at the realisation of what I get to do. The flip side of all this is that I have dope content to look back on and remember the moments. And I know my fellow creator-friends feel the same. I try to remind myself to keep it as slow and steady as possible in a very fast, very intense environment!
Despite Kelvin not driving due to mechanical safety reasons, the racing was really top notch and made for spectacular viewing with the Table Mountain backdrop. Yes the lack of engine roar is noticeable, but it does reveal all the noises that are normally inaudible because of engine sound. The brakes and tyres and wind rush are so much more prominent and give a unique and differently exhilarating experience as a spectator. Not better, not especially worse, just different.
It will still take a while for the experiences of that week to really sink in. It was a true home race, and an extended double home race with that day at Kyalami. There’s something about travelling to the track every morning knowing you slept the night in your own bed that just hits different. The cherry on the cake was Sheldon winning the 9hr for a second time. Home soil often is the most fertile.
A quiet Sunday morning sunrise hike up Lions Head with my dear friend Andy felt like a fitting way to end what was a spectacular yet exhausting week. Thank you South Africa for what you offered in that week. Now the new European chapter begins and I look forward to all that’s ahead.
But home will always be home.
🇿🇦
