Racing is in his blood

But for Axcil Jefferies it was literary from napkins to motor racing!
At the age of five he started motor racing at Donnybrook in Harare entering his first ever karting race at the age of six. Now aged 18, Jefferies is the only Zimbabwean and Africa motor racing driver in Formula Two.
Having won several championships at club and national level, between 2002 and 2004 and later being voted Driver of the Year, he competed in the South African Rotax Championships with eight podium finishes.
Jefferies, who grew up in Borrowdale, attended Hellenics Primary School and later went to Carpe Diem Home School for his Ordinary Level certificate. He wanted to go to St John’s College but because of his commitment to racing he could not enrol for high school.
In 2006, Jefferies was signed by Toyota and appointed the Toyota/Castrol development driver and contested in the South African Champion Mini Max and got nine wins and 15 podium finishes.
After being signed by Toyota, the company sent him to Europe to further his career during which he came second in the world championships and he was signed by BMW.
“I was 14 years old and that was probably the biggest jump in my career and that is when it became a reality that I could make it to Formula 1. With BMW we did the Asian tour in China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan and basically all over Asia. We finished third in our first year and we had two wins and six podium finishes,” he said.
“My career came to a standstill in 2010 when BMW pulled out of motor sport as a whole and I lost my contract and did not race for the rest of 2010. I was lucky to get a scholarship at the end of 2010 at Loughborough University which is one of the best sporting universities in the world,” he added.
This year Jefferies made a massive step up to Formula Two. Although he was not expecting it because he expected to go Formula Three, he says this year has been a very good year for him and his career.
“I got six top 10 finishes out of eight races and managed to get Zimbabwe back on the motor racing map and raised our flag high,” said Jefferies with confidence.
Jefferies, who arrived in Zimbabwe on Saturday afternoon from Europe where he is now based, said he is very happy to be back and wants to learn more about his country.
Jefferies says one of his biggest achievements in his career was to be the first person of colour to win the national championships in South Africa.
“I also think for a Zimbabwean getting into Formula Two is a very big achievement because racing is not that popular here. I am currently the only African at that level as well. I have won quite a number of championships but I think these are the biggest highlights of my career,” he said.
His biggest dream is to be in Formula One and he says with his current performance, he sees himself at that level in the next three years.
Jefferies, who was here to attend the Sanganai/ Hlanganani-World Travel and Tourism Africa Fair, says he came here to learn more about the country he represents.
“I know a lot about my country but since I am now a Tourism Ambassador I need to know more so that I market my country as a great tourism destination.
“We have also brought with us a lot of guests and our plan is to make Zimbabwe a major tourist destination and I have also come with a bit of holiday,” Jefferies said laughing.
So taxing is Jefferies’ career that he hardly has time to socialise, and he says one cannot keep a relationship because at times one can only see their partner once or twice in a month.
“Relationships are tricky at the moment as I have to focus on my career until I am fully established. It is very difficult to balance your social life and career and at times you have to sacrifice and not be in a relationship. Soon I will be ready, I am only 18 anyway,” he chuckled.
On a normal day Jefferies starts physical training at five in the morning and trains for two hours soon after that he goes to university were he spends almost the whole day.
“If we have a race coming up I can go and spent some time with the engineers make a few changes to the car and usually that just my normal day,” he said.
As the only African in Formula Two Jefferies says he has received a very warm welcome in Europe and well as a lot of support from his Zimbabwean fans and he says he has Zimbabwean fans all over the world.
“After races people gather around the car and most of them want to know more about the country Zimbabwe,” Jefferies said.
Jefferies, who is now being sponsored by Afri-Hype,  a private equity company based in Zimbabwe, has the Zimbabwean flag all over his car and racing suit says he takes pride in being a Zimbabwean and he will continue marketing his country the world over.
“We have a lot of exposure in motor sport and millions of fans and I have tried to make the best out of it and have the Zimbabwean flag on my car and the ZTA logo ‘Visit Zimbabwe — A World of Wonders’ that way whenever I race people know who I am and where I come from,” Jefferies said.    
Being a motor racing champion, he says he is not bothered by driving on the normal roads because there is a difference in the type of car you will be driving and the roads.
“It is a lot safer driving on the track than on any other road and you have to be very careful on the road. I am also an Action for Road Safety Campaign ambassador for the Federation International de l’Automobile so I never have the urge to drive fast,” he said with a smile.
Jefferies also urged youths who want to take up sport as a career to keep focused and stay in school as education is the backbone of any career.
“There is a lot of discipline in sports; no one would have thought a Zimbabwean would make it to Formula Two. You have to work hard and for me it has been 13 years of hard work but eventually it pays off.
“It is also important to stay in school because in the event that your sporting career does not work out you  have something to fall back on,” he concluded.