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Collin Matiza Sports Editor
FAST rising Zimbabwean motor racing driver Axcil Jefferies arrived in Abu Dhabi on Saturday for a one-and-a-half-day drive testing there in preparation for the 2014 Formula Two season. Jefferies, who turns 20 next month, was initially expected to do his drive testing in Abu Dhabi for three days but his stay there was reduced to one-and-a-half days because the team he is supposed to race for this season — Team Trident of Italy — “are not confident that he will raise sponsorship in time.”
Jefferies’ father and manager, Suhail, told The Herald yesterday there were only two seats left in the team and they have a March 13 deadline for his son to be “drafted into the team for this year”.
“Axcil has spent the last two weeks working on simulator with Team Trident in Milan, Italy. They are showing good faith and allowing him to practise with them as they wait for the people from Zimbabwe to come up with some (financial) support.
“Axcil has done more than expected on the simulator so the team feel he really deserves a chance in GP2. In fact, GP2 are now faster than the slower teams in Formula One such as Caterham F1 and Marussia F1, so he is at a very high level,” Suhail said.
Today will see Axcil having his first feel of the track in Abu Dhabi where he will also have his seat fitting.
He will also walk the track with some engineers to pick up a few pointers and familiarise himself with the track before he gets down to business tomorrow for his first proper practise session.
“There are three practise days but Trident have given Axcil free testing for one-and-a-half days. This they have done as a goodwill gesture while we are waiting for (some) sponsorship to come (from Zimbabwe). If the sponsorship is confirmed by Monday night (today) the team will sign him and let him test for all three days,” Suhail said.
Three weeks ago, Axcil and his father met Vice President Joice Mujuru and the Deputy Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Tabetha Kanengoni-Malinga, who both assured the nation that they would support the promising young motor racing driver in his quest to become a fully-fledged Formula One racer.
Vice President Mujuru hailed Suhail’s support for his son and said it’s high time he gets the backing from others in the country as Axcil raises the nation’s flag high.
“He has actually put us on the (world) map and some of us think it’s also our time to really be helping the young man.
“I know the trouble that you have gone through in trying to put your own country on the map by trying to help our gifted young man.
“We are quite happy to also talk and appeal to the corporate world of Zimbabwe, including beyond Zimbabwe, to really come to the support of our young guy because we think he surely has done us proud.
“So, I think we have to work very hard and talk to the corporate world so that we get our son, we get our young man to really go and practise and really perform and perform to the best,” Vice President Mujuru said when she met Axcil and his father at her Munhumutapa offices in Harare three weeks ago.
She also said that there was need to move from the culture of depending on just a few individuals, who were excelling in sport, and develop more athletes.
Kanengoni-Malinga, meanwhile, pledged her ministry’s support in helping Axcil to raise the funds which will enable him to race in Formula Two this year.
The deputy minister indicated that they would be engaging various stakeholders to try and get support for Axcil who is now in dire need of some strong financial support as he prepares for the 2014 season.
2014 GP2 line-up so far
Russian Time: Mitch Evans, Artem Markelov
Carlin: Julian Leal, Felipe Nasr
Racing Engineering: Raffaele Marciello, Stefano Coletti
DAMS: Jolyon Palmer, Stephane Richelmi
ART: Stoffel Vandoorne, Takuya Izawa
Hilmer: Daniel Abt, Facu Regalia
Rapax: Simon Trummer, Adrian Quaife-Hobbs
Arden: Rene Binder, Andre Negrao
Caterham: Alexander Rossi, Rio Haryanto
MP: Daniel de Jong
Trident: Johnny Cecotto Jr
Lazarus: Nathanael Berthon
Campos: Arthur Pic, Kimiya Sato
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