Dave Petersen: Two-wheel masterclass

Multiple national championship winner, Grand Prix contender, successful international team manager and ultra-capable motorsport television producer. These are just some of the achievements that made Dave Petersen, at the age of 65, one of motorcycle racing’s local legends.

Rhodesian-born Petersen started racing at the age of 14, riding a 1949 Velocette in the junior class of the Rhodesian Dirt Track Series. He soon progressed to the Rhodesian National Dirt Track and National Motocross series, riding a Yamaha 360. In 1976 he began long circuit racing on a Yamaha 250, winning the Rhodesian National title both that year and the next, while travelling to South Africa, where he finished third in the national 250 cc title chase both years.

His life changed dramatically in 1979 when he immigrated to South Africa. “At the time I worked for Air Botswana, but Suzuki South Africa offered me a job since I was racing one of their machines,” he recalls. He won the South African Unlimited Superbike Championship for Suzuki in 1980, plus the Castrol Six Hour event at Amaroo Park near Sydney in 1980 and 1981.

“That was the start of my career as a professional motorcycle racer, in the sense that I did not have any other form of income. The motorcycle market was healthy, almost all the importers partook in motorsport and a good rider could earn a decent livelihood,” says Petersen.

Aged 16, Petersen rides a Yamaha 360 in a round of the Rhodesian National Dirt Track series.

He rode for the Elna Sewing machines team in 1982 on a Honda CB1100R in the open class and a Ducati Pantah 600 in the 750 class. He won both championships. “The year ended horribly with my older brother Keith killed at Kyalami during the season-ending international races. I nearly pulled out of the sport but after much soul-searching I decided to pursue my career in the 500 cc Grand Prix arena.

“In 1984 I purchased a new Suzuki Grand Prix machine from my good friend Barry Sheene and I tackled four 500 cc Grands Prix that year, finishing 11th on debut at Paul Ricard in France. In 1985 I continued as a privateer, purchasing a second hand Honda RS500 with the help of South African sponsor Kreepy Krauly,” remembers Petersen.

“In 1986 I signed to ride a factory RG500 for Italian Team Gallina with team-mate Frankie Chili. Unfortunately the bike was not competitive and I crashed a few times trying to make up time on the corners.  For instance, I lost a pinkie during the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, leaving it somewhere along the Hanger Straight retaining wall after hitting same at speed,” he reflects.

“I became the last 500 cc Grand Prix privateer that season – it just became insanely expensive. An engine overhaul would cost the same as a house in South Africa and I could see the writing on the wall halfway through the year.”  In 1987 Dave took the job as team manager for Rothmans Honda, overseeing German rider Anton Mang in the 250 cc title chase.

In 1985 Dave tackled the 500cc Grand Prix season as a privateer, purchasing a second hand Honda RS500 with the help of South African sponsor Kreepy Krauly.

“For a change I could be involved in motorcycle Grands Prix while earning a salary. And, I was good at it – despite hating to train, diet or stay sober, Tony Mang won that year’s world title,” Petersen says. He returned to South Africa in 1988, where he raced for Honda in the South African Superbike championships of 1988 and 1989.

“At the end of the year we were supposed to race at the old Zwartkops circuit and the riders all agreed that the one corner, next to the venue’s Drive-In screen, was unacceptably dangerous. We were doing around 170 km/h next to a solid concrete wall, on the outside of the corner, about 10 metres from the edge of the track. I decided not to race, as did most of the other riders, and the powers that be at the time reacted with a court of inquiry.

“The outcome was a three-race ban for everybody plus a R3 000 fine per rider. I, and various other people, decided not to renew our racing licences for 1990, and nobody paid the fine. I was disillusioned with local motorsport’s administration, and the rule-makers’ attitude towards rider safety. Luckily, things have changed a lot since then and competitors now have a large say in safety issues,” Petersen says.

“While sitting out, I received a call from King Kenny Roberts. His son, Kenny Junior, wanted to go circuit racing, and they needed somebody to teach him the ropes. So, in 1991 I ended up living on the Roberts ranch in Texas, and I looked after Roberts Junior in the Formula USA series.”

In 1986 Dave rode a factory HB Suzuki RG500 for Italian Team Gallina, but the bike was slow and he crashed often while trying to be competitive.

Roberts Junior finished third in that championship in his rookie year and later went on to win the 500 cc World Championship. Petersen returned to South Africa and did not race for a number of years. In 1997 Motorsport South Africa started running a 600 cc series and invited Petersen to compete, which he did on a Kawasaki. That came to an end when he suffered a road crash while testing a motorcycle for a local magazine.

“A car did a U-turn in front of me on a main road and I hit it amidships, mangling my left leg.” Two weeks later, Petersen raced at the ultra-fast East London circuit. “We fixed a block of wood under the seat, because I could not bend my leg far enough to change gears without it. But, we raced, and I finished both heats,” he recalls.
At the end of 1997 Petersen started producing television programmes for local motorsport – he still does the television coverage for the currently interrupted Extreme Festival series.

He feels that local circuit racing will survive the current crisis, especially at regional level. “As for motorcycle racing, we need affordability and accessibility, regulation stability and the influx of more young riders. Sadly, it will always be expensive, and few people will be able to afford expensive things in the foreseeable future. But, motorsport people are born survivors, and we will, somehow, see our way through these hard times too,” he concludes.

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