Ja, chise! Early B swaps the stage for the track
South African music sensation Early B recently had his first taste of competitive racing when he took to the track in a Formula Super Vee race car.
The Bloemendal rapper joined forces with Liqui Moly, who gave him a racing suit and the necessary training for competition.
Early B, real name Earl Swartz, is a big petrolhead and car fanatic, so it only made sense that he took his passion to the track.
Speaking on his official Instagram account, Early B said after his first practice session: “I feel grateful. So, so, so grateful! I had my first practice session in a Formula Super Vee car and learned so much about track racing and the car. So much so that it can also be applied to life, Bru.”
Early B took part in the opening two rounds of the 2023 season as an official driver.
The Formula Super Vee car
The Formula Super Vee cars draws inspiration from many open-cockpit race cars, including the likes of Formula 1. However, the technical details around these are more simplistic and less technology-reliant than those in other formula.
The car’s mass, including the driver, must be a minimum of 525kg, and a 1.4-litre water-cooled Volkswagen engine propels the rear-wheel drive race car to reach a top speed of 230km/h. It is the same engine that was used in the erstwhile Golf Chico range.
Power is channeled to the wheels via a VW Type 1 gearbox with controlled ratios.
For interest’s sake, a ready-to-race Formula Super Vee car is available for between R15 000 and R120 000.
