Seven-year-old rider James Nijmeijer pushes for championship

Bromhof-based James Nijmeijer (7) is currently racing and hanging on in the second position at the PW50 class of the South African Short Circuit Series (SASCS)

SASCS is a series for racing motorcycles on short circuits or go-kart tracks. The bikes are modified to allow for racing on tar instead of dirt. It is the only series currently allowing youngsters from the age of five to race competitively on racetracks. The series is sanctioned by World of Motorsport South Africa (Womza), and they inspect and approve all the tracks raced on.

There is hope for Nijmeijer as he lies second in the championship, halfway through the season. The season consists of eight rounds/race days, and it starts in February and will end in November.

The young rider explained that the competition is very tough which makes him even prouder because he knows he can beat the other riders who are also very fast.

“I get butterflies in my stomach on race days but when I put on my helmet to go racing it gives me energy to try and win. I’ve come a long way since I first started riding and that makes me very proud.”

There are three heats on a race day and the points calculated after those heats determine who finishes where overall on the day.

He has finished third, first, and second two times overall out of the four race days held so far this year. With four race days still to go this year, he is very much still in the hunt for the championship at the end of the year.

He said that the biggest challenges so far have been getting his knee down for the first time and winning his first race.

“I work and train very hard. I practise almost every weekend and my dad helps me a lot. I want to win more races and ultimately the championship this year. My goal for the future is to become a professional racer.”

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