Racing is a way of life for veteran racer, Hendrik

While his passion stems from his father's career as a motor mechanic, Hendrik is a force to be reckoned on the track.

Hendrik van der Merwe. (image from file).

Hendrik van der Merwe is a veteran when it comes to Oval Track racing. It is thus no surprise when he received his South African number three at the WOMZA SA Dirt National Championship last month.

Pushing boundaries from the age of 18, Hendrik competed in his first race with a Volkswagen Golf, and was one of the first racers to use a front-wheel drive on the track.

While his passion for racing and rebuilding cars stems from his father’s career as a motor mechanic, Hendrik is a force to be reckoned with when he takes to the track.

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“I’ve raced on 14 different tracks including tar racing throughout the country, from Rustenburg to Richards Bay, Vereeniging to Loskop and even as far as Bloemfontein,” beamed Hendrik.

Over the years, Hendrik’s love for cars saw him build fast engines and smaller 1600s ones too.

“Just learning what makes the car quicker and how to race on the different tracks, gives you the experience to better your performance,” he added.

Sharing in the enthusiasm for racing is Hendrik’s 12-year-old son Stephan, who has been racing since he was seven and has already started his own championship trophy collection.

Hendrik emphasised it was not all glamour and trophy-winning, but rather countless hours of preparation ahead of the race days which mattered the most.