
Ghazi Motlekar, an 11-year-old South African go-kart champion, came out second at the Junior Max Race in Adria, Italy, at the weekend.
11 year-old South African go-kart champion, Ghazi Motlekar has made the nation proud by coming in second place at the Junior Max race in Adria, Italy. On Friday, Sarfaraaz Takolia spoke to Ghazi Motlekar on Salaamedia’s Motoring Segment ahead of his race which took place at the weekend.
ST: Tell us about when you started racing and your love for it?
GM: Well, my love for go-karting started on my eighth birthday, when I went indoor karting. I loved it so much, that we asked around where and how I can start this as a sport. About a year later, I started doing it professionally.
ST: Amazing, man! You’ve been participating in many races and you spend about five days a week with it. Where do you find the time to practice? Tell us a bit about a day in your life – it’s obviously quite intensive!
GM: I don’t have anything to do besides karting. It’s just my life and I can’t live without driving and racing. I wake up in the morning, get myself ready, I have my breakfast and leave for the track at about 9:30 or 10 o’clock. From that time, I’m at the track until 5pm. I then get back home, I exercise, I jog about three to five kilometers a day and do about 100 push-ups and 100 sit-ups every day.
ST: What has been the highlight of your racing career thus far?
GM: Winning the South African National Title. It was a feeling I can never forget.
ST: Who do you look up to when it comes to racing? Which team would you like to drive for in the future; let’s say you make it the Formula 1?
GM: I think Ayrton Senna, because the way he drove and his attitude to everyone else was just inspiring to me. There’s never been a driver like him. As for which team I would like to drive for in future, whichever team is winning and hopefully they would still be winning with me in their team.
ST: You’re now based in Italy and you recently made your debut. How was it for you and how different is racing in Italy to being in South Africa?
GM: Racing in Italy is much more challenging because you have to push your absolute best every single lap and you have to know how your competition drivers drive – whether they drive dirty or not. I’ll have to adapt. So far, I’m loving it.
ST: What were some of your close encounters that you had so far?
GM: On my first race here, I got bumped off onto the grass. I was knocked down right to six places from the bottom and had to work my way up hard. I only had seven more laps and I just pushed my absolute best and tried to focus as much as possible. Then, I got to the 10th place from 2018.
ST: It’s awesome to see at such a young age this aspiration and focus. For other aspiring youngsters out there who wish to race and get onto the stage of racing at a higher level, what would your words be to them?
GM: Follow your dreams and just stay focused. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do it. You can always do it, just try your best and you’ll get there one day.
Watch the full interview below: