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18-year old 2022 South African Endurance Racing Champion Kwanda Mokoena is gearing up for the next big step in his racing career. The Kyalami Kid makes his first international race appearance quite literally in his backyard, when he competes in the ICGT Kyalami 9 Hour endurance race this Saturday 25 February.

Mokoena teams up with team boss Marius Jackson and Mo Mia in a South African-run MJR Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo2 to race against the best GT drivers in the world in the second round of the 2023 Intercontinental GT Challenge this weekend. The Kyalami 9 Hour has drawn international entries from Audi, BMW, Mercedes-AMG, and Porsche teams.

“I am honoured to make the next big step in my career at the Kyalami 9 Hour this weekend,” South Africa’s first black Endurance Champion Kwanda explained. “I’m racing a MJR Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo2 alongside my team boss Marius Jackson and regular co-driver Mo Mia in the Pro Am class. “We hope to be competitive against overseas and local entries.”

The Kyalami 9 Hour is the first of several appointments in what promises to be a hectic 2023 race schedule for the young champion. “We have big plans for 2023,” Kwanda smiled. “The next few weeks are flat out hectic and that’s just the start! “I return to the SA Endurance Series race at Zwartkops the next week alongside Jo Ellerine in my old GT4 Audi.

“Then it’s time for my next big step, which we will announce after Zwartkops. “That’s something I am really excited about and cannot wait to share, so watch this space!

“I would not be where I am at the start of an incredible new race season without the love and support of so many people, not least of all my dad, mom, and family. “There are too many people to thank here, but I will single out Marius and the MJR team for all they did over the past year to put me in a position to take advantage of some great opportunities.

“For now, the focus is on Kyalami and the 9 Hour and I simply cannot wait for the weekend. Bring it on!”