VW RACE CAR Panels

[eddyr]

Got these pieces day.... they come from old race cars, There’s 2 names Meyer Botha and George van Straaten and then
Capital Motors and of course “entered by VW SOUTH AFRICA.

MEYER BOTHA
In 1993, Captain Meyer BOTHA, airline pilot and a former race car driver, flew more than 26 000 km from the USA via Singapore to Delareyville, to attend Laerskool Wildehondepan's 75th anniversary celebrations. Captain Botha was a pilot with Singapore Airlines at the time and was on duty flying from Singapore-Los Angeles-Singapore flight. After landing in Singapore, he boarded an SAA flight for Johannesburg, and then drove to Grand Central in Midrand, where he flew his Mooney 020 aircraft to Delareyville. After the clebrations, he flew back to Grand Central, before flying SAA back to Singapore.

Of the six students who were in Standard 6 at the school in 1949, five attended the celebrations - Marais AUCAMP, Gert VAN DER RYST, Alta JOHANSSEN (married SCHOLLY), Meyer BOTHA and Johanna KOEN (married JACOBS). Laerskool Wildehondepan was one of the few operating farm schools left then. Capt. Botha's father was a teacher there. The first teacher was Miss LE ROUX (married DU TOIT), who was a 97 year-old widow and living in Johannesburg in 1993.

In 1997, Capt. Botha visited Killarney Race Track in Cape Town, the scene of one of his accidents in 1972 in a Lucky Strike Lotus 49C car. After the 1972 crash he was treated by the doctor on duty. Dr. Harry WADE, who was still involved in 1997 as a doctor on race days at Killarney. In 1969 Capt. Botha crashed another car at a Formula V race in Daytona, USA. In 1970 he won the Meissner Trophy in Formula Ford racing, racing a Lotus car belonging to Dave CHARLTON (six times SA champion). Capt. Botha started racing 1959 and played a big role in getting Formula V started in South Africa in 1966. His last race was in 1972 in a Formula One race. After leaving SAA in 1986, he flew for Singapore Airlines until July 1997. Jody SCHECKTER (1979 world champ) was runner-up in Daytona this race, and went to the UK as part of Capt. Botha's prize because he could not get leave from SAA. Whe he raced the Lotus car, his race mechanic was Sampie BOSMAN. Sampie's son Stephen later became a GTi race driver and a helicopter pilot.

After finishing school, Capt. Botha joined the South African Air Force. He became the youngest SAAF officer when he was made a 2nd Lieutenant at the age of 17 years, 6 months. He went on to study agricultural engineering at the University of Pretoria, before returning to the SAAF. At the age of 21 he joined SAA and stayed there until 1986.

The life of this interesting man ended tragically in October 1998, when he was shot by two murderers at his home in Mear Street, Sunnyside, Pretoria. He was rushed to the Medforum Hospital where he passed away. Capt. Botha was 61 years old and had retired from flying in 1997. He was in the process of turning his house into a guest house. Capt. Botha was divorced. His son, Retief Botha, was a vet in London, and his daughter Melinda VIAN a medical doctor in Cape Town

[eddyr]

he also drove these

[eddyr]

George van Straaten:Looking back, one remembers George van Straaten - who wrapped his car around a speaker pole at the old ' Zwartkops race circuit around the perimeter of the drive-in. The front wheel met the rear and the quip to the pit crew was 'the body is in the cubby hole'. George went on to be Formula Vee champion of 1971

The birth of Formula Vee in South Africa took place at Kyalami in May 1965, when three Formula Vees took to the track at a club meeting. It was soon realized how affordable and exciting formula Vee racing was, and many future legendary drivers started grinding their teeth in these 1300cc single seaters. For the first 2 years 1200cc beetle motors were used. Tony Jeffries took FV racing to new heights in 1967. He won South African FV championship and as part of his prize received a plane ticket to the Bahamas and the opportunity to compete in the Formula Vee World Championship. He won the 200 mile long race and became world champ in his Capital Vee built by Capital Motors, a Volkswagen dealership in Pretoria.



As previously mentioned, John bought the nr. 12 Capital Vee the following year from George van Straaten. This might not be the car that Jeffries won his world championship in, but it’s equally rich in history. Jeffries’s car was bought by an American car enthusiast, Bill Robinson, after the Championship. Jeffries was asked to race it at Daytona and other races in the USA. Incidentally John’s car is believed to be the only Capital Vee left in South Africa today, with only six of these early Vees built by Capital Motors. Werner Alker, who was part of the team in 1965, recalled how the nr. 12 car made its debut. Capital Motors was in healthy competition with their neighbours, Peco Motors in those days and what better way for a dealership to prove the quality of their product than on the race track. The only problem for Capital Motors was that Peco had two cars, and thus the upper hand. Capital Motors answered back by secretly building a second car in record time. Seven days later the nr. 12 car rolled onto the grid to neutralize the competition

[eben]

Wow. Thanks for posting.... these are the kind of stories very few of us know about.

[beetlepower]

Cool Story, thanks for sharing

[fig]

Cool history lesson, and cool souvenirs!

[vw59beetle]

Very cool. This was the Formula where most of our race legends started their careers. Great piece of history.

[eddyr]

have a look at this : Tribute on formula vee

http://www.aircooledwonders.com/feature ... e-tribute/

[rsk@sainet.co.za]

Hi Guys: I just happened to come across this site when idly browsing the web. I'm Ronnie Kruger, long-time retired (1993) PRManager of VWSA (from 1965 to retirement, with a short break in the 70's). The post about the Capital Vee built by George van Straaten, entered by VWSA and driven by Meyer Botha in the World Championship of Formula vee in Daytona Beach, FL, USA was particularly poignant, because I arranged the sortie and accompanied George and Meyer to Daytona for the race.
I have quite a bit of knowledge of matters VW for that period. Most promotions and activities involving the factory or the dealers either passed through or originated in our department. If I can help by contributing information (I'm not exactly doddering yet), just ask.

[Pine]

Hi Ronnie, it is absolutely FANTASTIC to have you on board! I am sure you are going to be flooded with questions about the early VWSA years

This is the picture you sent me in 2002 of the Rally 411 you drove in 1970, do you perhaps have any more of it?



Are you staying in SA again, or still overseas?

regards, Adriaan Pienaar

[Ron&Gill]

Ronnie, do you know Billy Goossen? He rallied works VWs in the 80s. I think he was a member of WPMC or maybe SWMC.

[rsk@sainet.co.za]

Hi Ron & Gil: No, I did not know of Billy Goosen. If he was dealer sponsored, it wo
Nice to hear from you again, Pine. I was in the US from 2000 to 2005, and returned to retire in jeffreys Bay . I have a few pix from my rally days with beetles, type #'s and a Type 4 - if I c an locate them. All that moving around the world. I still; have stuff in boxes! Let me have your e-mail address and if I find something, I'll send it on. And thanks for the words of welcome, guys. Sincerely appreciated.

[rsk@sainet.co.za]

Sorry Ron @ Gill: My reply was incomplete. If Billy Goosen was VW-sponsored in the 80's it would have been a dealer sponsorship. We did not sponsor regional drivers at the time. And if it was a dealer sponsorship, it would have been (eina) in a "waterwerke" (as my friend Koos Barkhuizen would say) - a Golf or something foreign like that!

[Ron&Gill]

Yes, he does water... oh well, there no accounting for taste, hey? Mind you, I have two VolksWaters, a Golf Variant and a Amarok, and they do well by me, very well.

[retrovan]

....... and returned to retire in jeffreys Bay . I have a few pix from my rally days with beetles, type 3's and a Type 4 - if I c an locate them. All that moving around the world. I still; have stuff in boxes! ....

Welcome, nice to have you with us, with your self and John Lemon, here, the possibility of so much history, makes me feel all content.

Do sometimes talk to John, will drop your name, in the next conversation, if you want, could pass your e-mail address to him if you OK.

Please, when you find those photo's, please start a Historic Thread here, as I am sure everybody will enjoy it to the fullest.

As many Type 3 as you can find, as thats VW's wonder car.......

(wait for the arguments to start)



Herman