Johannesburg - South Africa’s 2014 Motor Sportsman of the year will be announced on February 18.
There are eleven nominees for the award, which is handed out annually by the SA Guild of Motoring Journalists and sponsored by Bridgestone SA.
The nominees, in alphabetical order, are:
BRAD BINDER, who rode an Indian Mahindra motorcycle in the Moto3 GP series. The 18 year old has led many races outright and has been on the podium for a second and third position in a competitive international field.
This year sees him moving to the top-flight KTM works team, which is a favourite for the world championship title in 2015.
ELVENE COETZEE. As navigator to Leeroy Poulter, she is the first female navigator to rewrite the history books since 1960 and won the 2014 South African Rally Navigator’s Championship as part of the Castrol/Toyota works team.
GINIEL DE VILLIERS, for his fourth place finish in the 2014 Dakar Rally (he finished second in this year’s Dakar but it is his 2014 performance that counts for the award). De Villiers has over the past twelve years established himself as one of the greatest International motorsport stars to hail from South Africa, and has consistently finished on the Dakar podium, in recent years driving a South African-developed Hallspeed Toyota Hilux.
JAYDE KRUGER. The South African Formula Ford and Formula VW Champion, Jade Kruger went to the UK and won the ultra-competitive Dunlop British Formula Ford Championship - a very significant title he shares with the likes of Ayrton Senna.
JONATHAN WING, for winning the 2014 Handikart World Championship held in torrential rain in France. The only karter in South Africa who rides with a prosthetic left leg against able-bodied competitors, the 17-year old started the final round of the World Championships in second place and opened up a gap of 4.5 seconds to give South Africa its first Handikart World Championship.
JORDAN PEPPER. As a “Rookie of the Year” in the 2013 International VW Scirocco Cup, Jordan went to Europe in 2014 and won the Volkswagen Sirocco Cup against drivers from 23 other countries. The 18-year old also won the 2014 FIA Institute of Young Drivers Excellence Academy Award for Africa against drivers from twelve other countries.
KELVIN VAN DER LINDE. The reigning SA Motor Sportsman of the Year, Kelvin won the 2013 VW Scirocco Cup and followed this up by winning the 2014 GP Masters Title in his Audi R8 with his partner, Rene Rast. In 2015 Kelvin (18) will be driving for the official Audi factory team.
LEEROY POULTER. Adding to his many championship titles in world and local karting, saloon cars, off-road racing and rallying, Leeroy won the 2014 South African Rally Championship with navigator Elvéne Coetzee, to make him one of the finest all-rounders this country has produced. He was also sixteenth overall at this year’s Dakar Rally, placing second overall in Stage 12.
SA KARTING TEAM, for winning the 2014 Rotax Max Challenge in Valencia, Spain, beating 50 other countries and 270 drivers in heavy rain. No less than 15 000 Max Challenge Karters from all over the world compete for a place in the grand finals making this championship one of the most competitive in the world.
The team consists of Kohen Bam and Jordan Sherratt (Junior Max); Eugene Denyssen and Luke Herring (Senior Max); Benjamin Habig and Bradley Liebenberg (DD2); Cristiano Morgado, Erwin Sterne and Richard van Heerde (DD2 Masters)
SHELDON VAN DER LINDE. Kelvin’s younger brother, aged just 15, won the 2014 Engen VW Polo Cup at his first attempt. This after winning two South African karting championships.
WADE YOUNG, for winning the 2014 National Enduro Motorcycle Championship and also the E1 (200cc) Class Championship for the second consecutive season. He also won the 2014 Roof of Africa in Lesotho for the second time against tough local and international competition. The 18-year old also participated in a number of international enduro motorcycle races, placing third in the Red Bull Romaniacs and fourth in the Red Bull Sea to Sky.
There are also two nominees for the Colin Watling Award, which recognises significant contribution and achievement by a non-competitor in motor sport:
GLYN HALL, for leading the Toyota Motorsport team which won both the South African Donaldson Cross Cuntry and SA Rally championships in 2014. He also builds the 18 Toyota Hiluxes that compete in the Dakar Rally, at his Hallspeed workshop in Joburg.
TOBY VENTER. The CEO of Porsche South Africa bought the Kyalami Grand Prix racing circuit and saved this iconic treasure for South African motorsport.
Star Motoring