BRACKENHURST – De Beer will be following his dream of becoming a Formula 1 driver when he became South Africa’s first GP3 driver in 2014.
Nineteen-year-old De Beer, who resides in Brankenhurst, has started his racing career as a 50cc Oval go-kart racer under the watchful eye of his father, Shane. He is the former World Junior Bok karting champion. He moved onto the long course in 2006 and after three years of racing became the South African champion.
This had a snowball effect and in 2010 the De Beer team competed in the Formula Arbath championship in Italy, snatching up three podium places as the second youngest racer in the series.
In 2012/2013 season he competed in the the Formula Arbath, but could not complete the entire series due to a lack of sponsorship.
“We could not complete all the races in the series as we only had sponsorship until a certain race. You need to have enough sponsorship to carry you through all these races,” said De Beer, reflecting on his impressive Italian Formula 3 performances.
“I had to put my dream on hold, but I had the opportunity when I was offered a test drive with Trident in Abu Dhabi.”
He was placed fourth out of the 28 drivers who went for the test drive, which took place in November 2013. Subsequently he was offered a GP3 contract to be one of three drivers for the Team Trident, that will compete in the season alongside the Formula One Grand Prix series on the same track and date. The other driver is a Brazilian and the third will be announced shortly, says De Beer.
GP3 is the feeder system for Formula 1, with many top F1 drivers emerging from the GP3 ranks. The races take place at the same track on the same day as F1, giving the younger drivers the perfect opportunity to rub shoulders with the top drivers in motor racing.
Roman knows he needs to perform well in GP3 if he is to be offered a drive for not only the second half of the season, but also to move closer to Formula 1.
The GP3 series only takes place in Europe to curb costs and consists of nine legs. Roman will head to the pre-season testing on March 28, testing on three different tracks before the season begins on May 10 in Barcelona. The second will be in Austria, Great Britain, Germany, Hungary, Belgium, Italy, Russia and ends in the United Arab Emirates in November.
De Beer is now managed by Fayaaz Alibhai and Team Trident, and according to Alibhai, De Beer has already secured his drive for the first part of the season, but now he is in need of more support. “We have currently secured a portion of funding for the season, but are still in need of more to ensure that he can fulfil his dream. It has not been easy to secure this drive, but the Almighty has blessed Roman with this opportunity to showcase his talent and put our country South Africa back onto the motorsport map.
“Emotionally this is a big step for me and I hope that I will be able to compete at this high level. It is fantastic for me to be the first South African since Jody Scheckter to make a breakthrough in this motorsport.
“It is very difficult to compete on this level and it is a very competitive environment. South Africa has a lot of talent, but the drivers don’t always get the recognition and sponsors to follow their dreams.
“I can only thank the Lord that I received this talent and it will be wonderful if I can live out my dreams on the track.”
He has a lot of support at home. “My mother Petra and father have always been there and supported me wherever I went.” He has two brothers, Mitch and Jady, who also caddies for the well known golfer, Darren Fichardt.
Roman went to Orion Primary School and to High School Dinamika, but had to complete his matric through the Technical South Africa home schooling. He trains five days a week in the gymnasium and follows a hand-eye simulator programme to enhance his driving capabilities.
When he is not on the track De Beers loves watching his favourite movies.
Apart for racing and testing cars on the track he plays other sports as well, but it was always motor sport that attracted this young and enthusiastic GP3 driver.
