Chronicle Editor
Barnabas Masimba, Online Reporter
A RELATIVE novice- who has been actively racing for only four years- has defied the odds to win the 2023 Bulawayo 100 trophy at a handicap motor racing event held at the Bulawayo Motor Club (BMC) on Saturday 24 June.
John Dube (41), a Bulawayo mechanic and father of three, put in a herculean effort and had to overcome problems with his vehicle during the race to beat seasoned campaigners.
Notable names like Calvin Rademeyer, Bob Beaver Angelo Tavaress, Melissa Watt, Michael Mukori, Justine Goode, Kyle Zerf, Jordan Watt, Wayne Jardine, Dino Khamal, lan Gutherless, Veteran Richard Robinson, Hamish Perry Jim Perry and Quintin Holder were among the top contenders to win the prestigious annual event.
The Bulawayo 100 was the main race of the day though they are other critical races which build up to it.
The first and Second races in which cars of specific classes race to get their qualifying times.
The times determine the position of the cars in the final race, which is the handicap.
The handicap starting system enables vehicles with varying performance potentials to compete on equal basis.
The slowest vehicle is given a head start equal to the difference in finishing times.
The reason for this method is offsetting the varying abilities or characteristics of competitors in order to equalize their chances of winning. One might have been wondering why the fastest car in the qualifying races cannot always be the winner. BMWs VW 6R Polos Subaru Supra, all these are known to be fast machines, but this time a Toyota Starlet in the hands of John Dube stood its ground and won, despite its average ability.
Dube came first with a time of 16:53.054 minutes, followed by Calvin Rademeyer 17:19.273, Mellissa Watt 17:24.274 and Bob weaver was fourth with a time of 17:24.438.
Of the 16 vehicles in the race, only nine completed the 10 laps while four had to pull out due to various challenges and two were disqualified.
The blink-and-you-miss-it racing spectacle kept fans that braved chilly weather to throng BMC glued to the action until the very last second.
The mechanical roar of fine-tuned engines, the feel of the vibrations in one’s chest as cars whizzed past the 3.490km circuit 10 times added to the inimitable thrill of seeing an actual live race.
The squeal and smell of burnt rubber, the anxiety and the wild cheers of fans combined to make the event so memorable that those who missed it, will be kicking themselves for years to come.
A Jubilant Dube told the Chronicle how he almost gave up when the going got tough during the race.
“Today l almost gave up, knowing the usual verdict but Team JayDee would not let me do that. I was losing confidence in myself because my car developed some fault during the qualifying session,” he said.
Grinning from ear to ear, he revealed that his first contact with motor racing was in 2013 when he went to BMC as a spectator.
“As far as l knew, the sport was for whites. l was shocked that the White guys were very welcoming when I declared interest.
“The first guy l met was Stylin Auto. He encouraged me and assisted me in many ways. He gave me links to fellow White guys and they were very welcoming, l never felt out of place.
“l soon learnt that motor racing knows no race, only that it’s an expensive sport. They taught me the techniques, the rules. I was taught that if l really want to be a full-time racer l should invest in a racing car, dedicated to that specific job. Yes, building a racing car is costly. l got my Toyota Starlet as a shell then l started building it from scratch and it took me about a year to complete it,” he said.
Dube thanked God for the win saying: “This has been my greatest achievement ever since l started racing.”
This year’s Bulawayo 100 was sponsored by Lisa Dixon in memory of her father Bobby Dixon, who was passionate about Motorsport.
Bobby was one of the pioneers of the Bulawayo 100 race in 1969 when BMC was first used after Khumalo race course closed down.
Bobby started racing at a tender age and only quit track racing when he got married and had his first child Lisa, citing that it was a bit dangerous for him.
However, he continued participating in Motorsport activities and his main duty was Handicapping since he was good with numbers.
“I feel good about sponsoring the event because it revives good memories of my dad and the sport, he loved the most,” said Lisa.
She vowed to continue supporting the race in the loving memory of her dad.
Online Reporter