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Collin Matiza Sports Editor
MOTOR RACING seems to run in the Zevgolis family. They eat, sleep and drink the sport! First, it’s the head of the Zevgolis family, Mano, who has been a trailblazer in drag racing and main circuit racing events at Donnybrook Park Raceway in Harare.
Mano has, over the past few years won almost every race in the drags and main circuit racing and is now a legend of the sport in Zimbabwe.
He was at one stage joined by his wife, Susan, in drag racing and they were behind the revival of the quarter-mile racing event at Donnybrook before they decided to take a back seat a couple of years ago.
Mano has not completely quit racing.
He took part in a Flat Track event at Donnybrook a couple months ago and will probably do again in the future.
His wife, Susan, finished with drags a few years ago — none of them are doing drags now. In fact, apart from being an administrator, Susan was one of the few women who were into drag racing in this country.
Just like her husband Mano, Susan was a regular feature in drag racing events at Donnybrook where she mesmerized local motor racing fans with her racing skills whenever she got behind the wheel.
She was just a joy to watch on the track at Donnybrook.
Unfortunately, age was slowly catching up with her and she decided to stop racing just before the Covid-19 pandemic hit these shores at the beginning of 2020.
But that was not the end of the Zevgolis’ fairytale story on the track at Donnybrook as they had already introduced their 17-year-old daughter, Catherine, to motor racing.
In fact, Catherine was introduced to motor racing by her dad, Mano, at the age of 15 and she fell in love with the male-dominated sport ever since.
She has been a regular feature at both drag racing and main circuit racing events at Donnybrook, mainly competing with male drivers.
This last weekend, Catherine made her way to Bulawayo to compete in the John Love and Peter Parnell Memorial Race Day, which was the penultimate round of the 2023 main circuit racing season.
The event was held at Bulawayo Motorsport Park and Catherine was competing there for the first time in her promising career.
And coming up against some of the country’s seasoned male drivers in the Saloon C 1600 Class, Catherine showed no ghost of any inferiority complex as she swept her Honda CRX 1600cc to a first place finish much to the surprise of other competitors who took part in this event.
“I was really thrilled to have won in my first Bulawayo race, especially as the track was much ‘faster’ than I had expected it to be and very different to Donnybrook and
it definitely took some getting used to it but it is a lovely flowing track,” an excited Catherine told Zimpapers Sports after last Saturday’s racing meeting in Bulawayo.
Before that, Catherine was named as the Motorsport Zimbabwe Driver of the Week and she said one of her main ambitions was to aspire to make a difference to her generation.
“I am 17- years-old and doing Lower 6 at Hellenic Academy, studying Business, English Literature and Classical Studies hoping to become a journalist.
“I am a 2000 with a difference. I aspire to make a difference to my generation. I was inspired to get into racing by my dad who has been involved in motorsport since 2012, as well as my mom Susan who has been into drag racing for several years.
“Born in a racing family and having attended many motorsport events over the years, it was only natural to follow suit. I am so grateful this year to finally have that opportunity. “l talked to my dad and he got my Honda CRX 1600cc ready for me this year in July. This car happens to be his first circuit racing car which he built five years ago.
“I took part in my first main circuit event at
Donnybrook, in Harare, that month and landed 3rd in my class which really pleased me. “… I’m just trying to get as much seat time as I can, as I have a lot to learn,” Catherine said in an interview with Motorsport Zimbabwe. She also said that she was looking forward to racing against three other female racers in Zimbabwe, namely Melissa Watt, Jamie Kerwin and Kirsten Gutherless.
Catherine aims at reaching her dad’s level in a few years to come, despite the competition being tough out there.
Her dad, Mano, is no stranger to winning in his Honda. He won the 2021 and 2022 3- hour Endurance race held in Bulawayo.
“As for the near future, my goal would be managing to impress my dad enough that he’ll let me drive his infamous Honda in the 2-litre class!” she said with a smile.
And for Catherine, only the sky is the limit but she said she is determined to look beyond the sky and probably become the best female motor racing driver to emerge from this country in the history of the sport in Zimbabwe
Online Reporter