Can you just imagine a bunch of bikers sitting in a pub in 1913 and someone coming up with the idea of a race? Now with bikers, there is nothing strange about that. Rumour has it that motorcycle racing was birthed when the second bike was built! This was not just going to be a quick squirt down a local road. This would be a PROPER race! Like from Durban to Johannesburg!
To understand the enormity of it all, just consider the roads back in 1913. There were no highways, just dirt roads and virtual goat tracks between the towns en route. Add to that the fact that bikes were still in their infancy and required serious attention to keep them running with any semblance of reliability. The ‘DJ’ proved so popular that it became an annual event. It was a race up until 1937 after which the authorities decided that it was too dangerous. It then became a regularity Rally.
2023 is the 51st running of the DJ. It was almost a non-event as funding is tight in our current economy. That is until SA Motorsport stalwart Paolo Cavalieri came to the rescue. Best known for piloting fast racing BMWs and supporting various race endeavours, Paolo, the boss man at Hollard, stepped up with a sponsorship for the DJ by iTOO, a special risks Insurer in the Hollard stable. There are 90 entrants for this year’s DJ which starts from the Hillcrest shopping centre on the 10th of March, overnights in Newcastle and finishes at the Benoni Northerns Sports Club on Saturday the 11th.
The route tries to stick as close to the original 700-odd km route as possible. Needless to say, the roads are radically different today! Who knows, if our roads keep deteriorating contestants may be back on gravel in years to come. Entrants compete for the Schlesinger Vase, made in London in 2014 and awarded to the winner by the then Chairman of the Johannesburg motorcycle club, Issy Schlesinger.
A number of previous winners will participate in this year’s event. Gavin Walton will be chasing his 6th victory, Kevin Robertson his 8th, Martin Davis his 4th and Mike Ward his 2nd. Ralph Pitchford, also a previous winner and top contender is taking a breather this year. Trevor Binder, father of MotoGP stars Brad and Darryn, will again turn out on his 1934 Indian Scout.
The oldest rider who entered is Neville Smith at 87 years young, on his 1935 Rudge Rapid Tourist. The bike carries the number 35, which is the year that both rider and bike were birthed. How cool is that?
At the other end of the scale, the youngest rider is Martin Kaiser 31 years old on a ’34 Sunbeam 9A 500. The oldest bike in the field is a belt-driven German-built Durkopp 500, dating back to 1910. Not many of us, if any, will still be ‘running’ in 113 years! The fairer sex is represented by Benita Palmer riding a 1934 Coventry Eagle 250 and Bev Jacobs on a 1935 Triumph 250. Benita is one of nine first-time DJ entrants. There are 3 sidecar rigs entered as well.
Wayne Harley, who is the curator of the magnificent Franschhoek Motor Museum, will again ride the DJ on a 1923 AJS Model D 750 from the museum. Bears asking why he is not on a Harley, doesn’t it? Leo Middelberg, a past winner and vastly experienced rally organiser, is the Clerk of the Course. Several local motorcycle clubs assist with the organising under the auspices of the Vintage and Veteran Club of South Africa.
Kudos to iTOO for standing in the gap and ensuring that this event, with such a rich history in South African Motorsport, takes place and prospers. To all the bikers out there who are looking for a cool event to support, pop into the Benoni Northern Sports Club and welcome these intrepid bikers home. Riding these old bikes is not for the faint-hearted, requiring considerable mechanical finesse to keep these old bangers running. The fact is, we owe it to these pioneers of motorcycling for establishing an industry that gives us so much joy.
FOOTNOTE ON iTOO: iTOO operates as Hollard’s preferred underwriter of speciality products, which cater to the unique needs of the modern world, ie, art and collectables, cyber, digital products, entertainment, sports & events, financial lines & crime, liability & special risks, professions, schemes & binders, trade credit & bonds. iTOO partners with 650 brokers in South Africa and other African countries in taking their speciality products to market.
