Watch out Poland! Here comes SA’s Viking

WATERFALL’S Eric Van Eyssen will shred tread in Poland on Saturday, 7 September, when he enters the final showdown of Gymkhana GRID 2019 with one goal in mind, to claim a podium finish.

Known as Eric the Viking, due to his fearsome character on the race course and his notorious motoring reputation.

The 51-year-old is a powerhouse behind the wheel of his Nissan S14, driven by a Toyota 2JZ-GTE 3.0-litre, six-cylinder. This is mated to a M3 five-speed gearbox that puts power through the rear wheels.

“I had the opportunity to go watch a friend compete in drifting and I fell in love while watching the sport. I told myself I have to do this and, ever since then, I’ve been hooked on motoring,” said Eric.

He is a regular participant in the South African SupaDrift series, where he is known for his good times.

In 2017, when SupaDrift organised the Gymkhana GRID world finals in Johannesburg, Eric was one of 16 South Africans who qualified and tried their hand at this series for the first time. In 2018 the Gymkhana GRID final was back in South Africa, this time in Cape Town, and Eric was one of eight to represent SA.

This year, Eric qualified in Vereeniging to compete in the Gymkhana GRID final for 2019 in Poland after he recorded 49.57 seconds on the right-hand track and 51.25 seconds on the left-hand course.

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Gymkhana GRID is a racing format that challenges drivers to get through an obstacle course within a certain time with the fewest mistakes. The course is laid out with obstacles ranging from cones, tyres and barrels.

Drivers require strong mental concentration as they need to memorise the course and often have to repeat or navigate the track in the opposite direction. Some of the driving skills and techniques required to get through the courses include handbrake turns, drifting, sliding and left-foot-braking.

Gymkhana participants are allowed two runs of the course and the fastest time is used to determine the winner of a class.

Time penalties are issued for hitting obstacles, and a failure to navigate the course correctly results in no time score.

The Viking racer hopes to make his country proud and is thankful for the sacrifices his family has made.

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