15-year-old stuns racing world

African motor racing records over the past 30 years or so, and continues to do so. The latest Van der Linde to hit the track is Sheldon, who at 15, is the youngest driver ever to have won an Engen Volkswagen Cup National Championship motor race.

The Grade 9 Dainfern College teen notched up this achievement in a Ferodo-backed VW Polo at Port Elizabeth’s Aldo Scribante circuit on May 3 – 10 days before his 15th birthday – in only his sixth race in round three of the cup.

Two years ago, on March 3, his older brother Kelvin, then 15, claimed the same record when he won his first VW cup race, also in a Ferodo Polo, in his second year in the championship. He went on to win and became the youngest-ever VW Cup champion.

Following in the footsteps of his brother, Sheldon’s goal is to also win the South African VW Cup championship and graduate to international competitions.

“It’s been an awesome first year in senior circuit racing so far,” Sheldon admitted.

“I have worked hard to achieve this and received a lot of help from my family to… achieve my motor racing dreams. We spent the whole of last year preparing for my senior circuit racing debut and covered many hundreds of kilometres on different circuits testing and learning to drive a racing VW Polo. My uncle Etienne has

been particularly helpful with teaching me racecraft.”

Like his brother – and many other racing drivers before them who have gone on to be world champions – Sheldon started his motor racing career in karting at a very young age. He was seven years old when he competed in his first race.

He received his junior Protea colours for motorsport in 2011.

His next race meeting is the sixth round of the Engen Volkswagen Cup championship at Zwartkops Freeway on August 30.