daniel chigunwe
Collin Matiza
Sports Editor
YOUNG Catherine Zevgolis on Saturday buried herself in glory after she won her first main circuit racing event during the John Love and Peter Parnell Race Day at Bulawayo Motorsport Park in Bulawayo.
The John Love and Peter Parnell Memorial Race Day was the penultimate round of the 2023 main circuit racing season in Zimbabwe.
And seven drivers from Harare, who included 17-year-old Zevgolis, attended the one-day event which was hosted by the Bulawayo Motoring Club in the City of Kings.
Unfortunately, a few other Harare drivers had to pull out at the last minute due to vehicles not being ready on time and other challenges.
There were only six competitors in the motorbike section of the event.
But the day on Saturday belonged to young female driver Zevgolis who was competing in her only second main circuit racing event and she surprised all and sundry when she walked away with the top honours in the vehicles Saloon C 1600 Class.
Zevgolis showed no ghost of any inferiority complex as she beat seasoned driver Denzil Bhana and Zane Shah into second and third place.
It was definitely a memorable outing and one for the archives for young Zevgolis who was introduced to the sport by her father, the legendary motor racing driver Mano Zevgolis, at the age of 15.
And Catherine, who is also into drag racing, couldn’t hide her excitement after taking the first step on the podium in the Saloon C 1600 Class.
“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 although it definitely took some getting used to it . . . It is a lovely flowing track,” Catherine told the Zimpapers Sports soon after Saturday’s Race Day in Bulawayo.
Her mother, Susan, who is a seasoned motor racing driver and was behind the revival of drag racing in this country together with her husband Mano a couple of years ago, added:
“She did extremely well and am really proud of her. At first I thought she was going to be hit by some stage fright as this was her first time racing in Bulawayo.
“But she was just relaxed and tackled the track like a seasoned driver . . . We were all surprised by the way she expertly handled her car.”
In other races on Saturday, Harare’s Jim Perry and son, Hamish Perry, took 2nd and 3rd place in the Saloon Class A with Bulawayo’s Angelo Tavares taking 1st. Harare’s Gary Bluett took 2nd place in the Saloon Class BT with Denzil Bhana of Bulawayo taking 1st.
Harare’s Rob Weston took 3rd place in the Saloon Class D behind Bulawayo’s Bob Beaver and Ryan Winterboer.
The Peter Parnell handicap race was won by Wayne Jardine of Bulawayo in his Canam sports car and the John Love trophy was won by Calvin Rademeyer also of Bulawayo with Harare’s Justin Goode taking 3rd place on the podium.
The next circuit race meeting is scheduled for October 1 at Donnybrook Raceway in Harare and the racing season will culminate with the 3- hour Endurance race in early December.
Meanwhile, one of the drivers who took part in Saturday’s race meeting in Bulawayo, Angelo Tavares, saluted all the competitors who took part in the event and thanked them for the sacrifices they are making in this expensive sport.
He also thanked the spectators.
“I am the driver of car 52, Subaru Sti . . . I don’t post much, but I thought that this is an important message for the supporters of all the cars you see on the track.
“ The spectacle you guys, and girls see on race day is a culmination of many factors, the stuff that happens behind the scenes, the hours spent on preparing our cars, the hours spent testing and more testing, the sacrifices made by our FAMILIES, the sacrifices WE make.
“We do all of this because we are passionate about what we do, and we go through all of this , so that you guys , the spectators, can have a good day at the track.
“There is no financial gain, maybe you get a small trophy at the end of the day, and that’s enough for us . . .
“The drivers get the glory at the end of the day but we are just a small part of a much bigger picture.
The true heroes are our mechanics, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, friends, husbands and wives, all the people that have supported us they are the ones that should be appreciated because without them none of this would be possible.
“So I say to everyone who has been there for me , THANK YOU,” Tavares wrote on his Facebook wall soon after Saturday’s Race Day in Bulawayo.
Online Reporter