Chronicle Editor
Shingai Dhlamini
All roads lead to Bulawayo for the prestigious John Love Race Day which will take place this Saturday at the Bulawayo Motorsport Park along the Victoria Falls Road.
It is one of the major events organised annually by the Bulawayo Motoring Club (BMC).
The John Love motor racing event, named after the legendary Zimbabwean racer, is one of the most memorable motoring gatherings of the year.
With a rich history and legacy aura around it, the best talent and a big racing crowd of the sport’s enthusiasts from all over Zimbabwe and beyond attend it.
Born John Maxwell Lineham Love was born on December 7, 1924, in Bulawayo in the then Southern Rhodesia.
He participated in 10 Formula One World Championship Grand Prix events.
He achieved one podium place and scored a total of six points championship points.
He started his car racing career in a single-seat Cooper F3 with a Manx Norton 500cc engine after racing a Triumph Grand Prix motorcycle which he then allowed Jim Redman to ride in recognition of his assistance in maintaining his Cooper.
In the 1960s he was the South African Formula One champion for a total of six times. He also won the Rhodesian Grand Prix six times.
John Love succumbed to cancer at the age of 80 in 2004.
Dylan Pragji of BMC said the race is held in memory of the iconic former racing driver every year and it attracts a lot of racers as they come together to celebrate the life and achievements of the legend.
One of the racers, Calvin Rademeyer from Bulawayo who was the winner of the John Love race two times in 2021 and 2023 will be defending his title at the race course along with other competitors.
“The event would not be possible without the support of our sponsors like Fuchs Lubricants and Wix Filters, whose commitment to the sport has helped elevate the competition to new heights and its continued success and relevance on the Zimbabwean Motorsports calendar,” said Rademeyer.
Online Reporter