Jefferies still itches for F1

Collin Matiza Sports Editor
ACE Zimbabwean motor racing driver Jefferies is still itching to become the first person from this part of the world to compete in the tough Formula One championship. Jefferies (19) yesterday said he still harbours the ambition of racing in Formula One after having had a dance with Formula Two, which is one rung behind the world popular F1, in 2012 before he left his base in England at the beginning of this year to ply his trade in the United States where he was invited to race in the IndyCar series.

The young, likeable Zimbabwean driver is currently in the country for a short holiday and is scheduled to return to the United States this Saturday to race in the Indy Lights which supports IndyCar, the pinnacle of motor-sport in the USA.

In fact, the IndyCar series is the premier level of American open wheel racing and Jefferies said his next race in the United States will be on October 5 but he will be leaving for the United States early to get some training and practice sessions well ahead of his next race meeting in Houston, Texas.

“The actual race is from October 3 to 5 but I’m leaving now so that I can get some training and practise as well as go on assimilator and work with my engineers to get the set up right on the track,” said Jefferies, who has been leaving in Indianapolis for the past four months.

At the beginning of last month, Jefferies made his debut appearance in the Firestone Indy Lights Championship at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, United States, and he finished in a respectable seventh place.

Jefferies was this year invited to race for Indianapolis-based Bryan Herta Auto-sport Team and American Honda have been funding his racing, paying for the car, engine, race fees as well as his team of engineers.

But the young Zimbabwean driver said he is still facing some challenges “on the sponsorship front”, as he still needs some funds which will cover his travel, accommodation and insurance expenses.

“We are looking for quite a substantial amount and we are hoping that some local companies or the corporate world would come on board and help us to off-set some of these expenses we are incurring during our stay in the United States,” Jefferies said.

But the promising young Zimbabwean driver indicated that he was unlikely to return to the United States for next season’s racing as he still wants to compete in the Formula Two series in Europe and Asia before making the big plunge into Formula One.

“The season is nearly over in the United States. We are going to have one more race in Houston, Texas, and we can have two more races in GP2 in Singapore and Abu Dhabi in support of F1 races there before the end of the year.

“But next year, we are going to try to have a go at the whole programme of the GP2 series, which supports FI races, because that’s where we want to showcase Zimbabwe. In fact, this series attracts over 100 000 spectators at their events and have over 112 million TV viewers globally and it’s good to showcase Zimbabwe on that platform.” Jefferies said he intends to race in the GP2 series for two more years before moving on to the tough world of Formula One racing.

“If given the opportunity, I’ll jump for it (Formula One) any time but I think I should have two more solid years of GP2 racing before going into Formula One because a lot of things are required for one to get to that level… But I still want to be the first driver from Africa to compete in Formula One racing.

“We haven’t had an African Formula One driver, I think for the past 20 years, and I’d like to be the first one to take part in this demanding competition,” Jefferies said. He also spoke about his experience during his stay in the United States this year where he was part of the Byran Herta Auto-sport Team in the IndyCar series.

“I had a lot of fun there, training together and associating with people who are making the same sacrifices as you. But the atmosphere there is different to Europe. In Europe, the approach is really professional and everyone is serious about everything in the competition while in the United States it is more laid back.

“But my main aim is to pursue my career in Europe. That is my goal and I aim to achieve it,” Jefferies said.
The young Zimbabwean is enjoying his 14th year as a motor racing driver after having started off at the tender age of five as a karting driver.

In fact, Jefferies is the first person of colour to win the South African national championship in karting, winning the Mini-Max and Junior-Max titles in quick succession in 2007 and 2008.

All in all, Jefferies won six South African national championships as well as a number of regional titles in karting. With limited options available to him in South Africa, he looked abroad and won a BMW scholarship to contest the 2009 Asia Pacific Formula BMW championship. He ended the season as Rookie champion and third in the overall championship standings with two wins, eight podium finishes, one pole position and two fastest laps.

From Asia, Jefferies set his sights on furthering his career in Europe, but a lack of funding thwarted his progress so he moved to England but was unable to secure a drive in 2013 until the Herta Bryan Auto-sport team came to his rescue when they invited him to race for them in the United States at the beginning of this year.

And after having revived his promising career in the United States, young Jefferies is now looking forward to returning to Europe next year to race in the GP2 series as he moves a gear up in his efforts of becoming a world Formula One driver.