The Herald (Harare)
Collin Matiza
24 October 2009
Harare — THE Zimbabwean flag is once again set to fly on the international motor racing scene when young Axcil Jefferies competes in the latest round of this year's Formula BMW Pacific series in Okayama, Japan, next weekend.
The 15-year-old Zimbabwean motor racing ace is scheduled to leave for Japan on Monday to race in two of the last three rounds of the Formula BMW Pacific Series in Okayama on October 30 through to November 1.
Jefferies will arrive in the Japanese city lying in third place in the series' Drivers Championship behind Rio Haryanto of Indonesia and Ireland's Gary Thompson.
And the young Zimbabwean will be out to overhaul his two main rivals when they take part in Round 13 and 14 of the 2009 Formula BMW Pacific series in Okayama next weekend.
The 15th and last round of the series will be staged in Macau at the end of next month and young Jefferies is hoping that he would have already clinched the Drivers Championship by the time he travels there.
He leaves for Okayama on Monday in a buoyant mood after having done well in the last round of the series in Singapore late last month where he finished sixth.
In fact, it will be his first time to visit Japan and is really upbeat about the trip.
He has been working extremely hard in the gym, and is looking forward to winning again in Okayama.
"I feel fitter than ever, I am determined to come back home with a win or two under my belt. As you know I rolled in Singapore after a competitor clipped me from behind.
"That was unfortunate as I lost some points to the other guys, but I want to redeem myself for the championship. I owe it to Zimbabwe, my sponsors Pioneer Corporation and Air Zimbabwe as well as my mother Jolyn who works so hard to make it possible for me to compete." said young Axcil.
Sportline Graphics of Harare has been kind enough to sponsor with stickers for Axcils' car.
His father and manager Suhail is also looking forward to the event in Okayama as Axcil will be racing alongside the World Touring Car Championship.
So far, Axcil has raced alongside Formula One and in the Asian Festival of Speed events. This will be his first time at a World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) which is a championship of more conventional cars that are seen on the everyday road.
The only difference being that WTCC cars have been worked on to produce substantially more power and handling has been upgraded compared to ordinary cars.
Okayama in Japan will be a new racetrack for all of Axcils' competitors, as none of them have raced there before, so it should be more of an even playing field.
And now with two rounds to go in Japan and in Macau in the Pacific championship, the Jefferies' camp have already started preparations for 2010.
The plan, according to Suhail, is for Axcil to compete in the Formula BMW European Championship where he has been offered a seat with top German team, Kaufmann Motorsport, who have won the championship four times in the last five years.
After Axcil's test with Kaufmann in early September, the German team were delighted with his speed and attitude to learn.
In this regard, his manager and father Suhail is currently speaking to a couple of local corporates who are interested in a partnership with Axcil for next year. But Suhail said he is still open to discussions with any corporates who would like to come on board as the Formula BMW European Championship runs alongside eight Formula One events.
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