How Gugu Zulu became the fastest brother in Africa

18 July 2016 - 14:53 By Thomas Falkiner
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The motor racing career of Soweto-born Gugulethu "Gugu" Zulu began in 1999 when he was picked from a youth development programme to take part in the Isondo Sports 2000 series.

Image: via Gugu Zulu Instagram

After winning the championship in 2000, his success caught the eye of South African racing legend Sarel van der Merwe, who offered him a drive in the Wesbank V8 Championship – then the fastest formula of racing our country had to offer with cars often reaching the 300km/h mark.

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Soon earning himself the title as the "fastest brother in Africa", the charismatic Zulu then turned his attentions toward the dirt and became a rally driver with Volkswagen Motorsport in 2003.

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In 2004 he was invited to the US to test cars for the Lenny Miller Nascar team, which was at that time investigating the viability of getting into single-seater racing scene.

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In the two weeks of intensive driving that transpired, Zulu performed admirably and outpaced the likes of Sergio Perez and Marco Andretti.

Unable to secure the necessary sponsorship needed to stay on with Lenny Miller, Zulu returned to South Africa where he refocused his energies on the South African National Rally Championship.

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Thanks to his aggressive driving style and high fitness levels achieved by competing in numerous endurance sports, he won his class championships in 2007, 2009 and 2010.

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This year Zulu was to make a return to circuit racing in the new Global Touring Cars formula, where he would have teamed up with fellow Volkswagen Motorsport drivers Graeme Nathan, Matthew Hodges and Mandla Mdakane.

 

A photo posted by Gugu Zulu (@guguzulu) on

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