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Jefferies (19) was at the beginning of this year invited to join the Caterham Racing Team for the 2013 season but the talented young Zimbabwean driver needs a cash injection of about US$1,5 million which will enable him to compete for the Malaysian motor racing team this year.
And Jefferies told The Herald from his base in England yesterday that he has received some positive response “from home and abroad” in his plea for some financial assistance and was looking forward to competing in his first race of the season in Malaysia this coming weekend.
“We have had a very good response in our global campaign (for some financial assistance) and Zimbabweans all over the world are offering their services to help.
“We are still going to push. The first race is on this weekend in Malaysia supporting Formula One and if we don’t get (the financial) backing in time, we will try everything to join the next race in Bahrain,” Jefferies said.
Jefferies was last year supported by Afri-Hype, an African focused private equity company which is based here in Zimbabwe, but they (Afri-Hype) pulled out of the deal for this year’s campaign, leaving the young Zimbabwean driver without a substantive sponsor for this season.
Afri-Hype decided to break their one-year “marriage” with Jefferies soon after he was invited to join Caterham Racing Team who indicated that they would like him to race for their GP2 team this year with the aim of grooming him to race in the world popular Formula One next season.
But Jefferies will have to meet some of his expenses while racing for the Caterham GP2 Racing Team this year and he needs about US$1,5million which will cover the following things for the young driver:
• Research and development (biggest cost)
• Car-manufacturing costs
• Wind tunnel costs
• Operating cars at tests
• Operating cars at races
• Cost of two Renault V8 engines per weekend
• Driver and team travel and accommodation
• Corporate entertainment
• Fuels and lubricants
• 90 sets of Pirelli F1 tyres
• Driver/coach, fitness coach, nutritionist and psychologist
• Transportation and logistics of race cars and equipment worldwide for all 11 race events and private tests
• Race entry fees
• Lease of GP2 for season
Jefferies spent last season racing in the Formula Two Championship, which is one rung behind the world popular Formula One, and was looking at making his second appearance in this competition this year.
But in late December, MotorSport Vision (MSV), the operators of the FIA Formula Two Championship, agreed with the FIA not to continue to run the series this year for what would have been the fifth and final year of its contract with the FIA.
And soon after the two parties agreed to scrap the F2 series from the 2013 calendar, Malaysia’s Caterham Racing Team came to Jefferies’ rescue when they invited him to join them for this season.
As part of the Caterham Group, the team is privileged to be the only GP2 outfit which is fully integrated with a Formula One team.
They are based at Caterham F1 Team factory and their drivers have access to the use of the Formula One simulator and many other exclusive facilities.
Caterham F1 is owned by Malaysian billionaire Tony Fernandes (owner and founder of Air Asia).
All GP2 races take place at F1 events and races this year will be held in Malaysia, Bahrain, Singapore, Abu Dhabi and across Europe.
Online Reporter