Benonian’s drifting dream comes true
His story began when he was about 17 and first saw a drifting event at the Rock Raceway in Kempton Park.
Benoni resident Jason Vosloo (25) is an aspiring race car driver.
“I remember getting goosebumps hearing the Skyline GTRs roaring by,” said Vosloo.
“My mind was made up and I knew this is what I wanted to do.”
His fairy tale turned real a couple of years later when he turned 19 when Tim Stephens of the Rock Raceway gave him the chance to learn about race car mechanics while working in the venue’s workshop.
“I did this to be close to all the awesome machines,” said Vosloo.
“Thanks to Mr Rock, I had the opportunity to learn and work on a variety of engines, ranging from Nissan Rb25 and SR20 to the mighty Toyota 2JZ.”
After he proved himself with hard work and dedication, Mr Rock decided to hand Vosloo the keys to the Rock’s drifting development car known as Team Orange, on his 20th birthday.
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Team Orange is a Nissan Skyline R33 powered by a standard Rb25 engine.
“Any young racer’s dream would have come true in this moment,” said Vosloo.
“With Roelien du Toit and Donald Labuschagne teaching me the basics of drifting, I couldn’t have asked for anything better.
“It was unreal. I have been taught by the same awesome people I watched as a young boy and drove in the same car that Mr Rock drove in on the day I watched my first show.
“This just grew my determination to own my own car and start to compete.”
Vosloo grabbed a friend and decided to convert a Nissan 1400 into a stock car for racing purposes.
“It’s not exactly drifting, but a more affordable entry-level option,” said Vosloo.
He contacted Phillip Hendriks from PRD Performance and asked for a lot of advice regarding the engine setup.
“PRD Performance then became a full-time sponsor with anything engine related and also decided to start building on a drift car, which had me at a loss for words,” said Vosloo.
He did, however, have a bit of a rough start last year when entering events.
The night before Rockmania, the 1400’s engine suffered broken rings.
“This meant I couldn’t compete,” said Vosloo.
The second event was cancelled due to heavy rain.
Vosloo can’t wait to get onto the track and show everyone what he can do.
“Once again, all this would never have been possible without the support I received from Tim Stephens, Donald Labuschagne, Roelien du Toit and Phillip Hendriks of PRD,” he said.
