How Tarlton Raceway became SAs mecca of drag racing

ON SEPTEMBER 24, 1977, Mick Van Rensburg changed the course of South Africa's drag racing scene.

- JEHRAN NAIDOO

Not only did he build the first ever drag-specific race track in the country, but he essentially gave South Africans the opportunity to reach for their dreams.

Now just under five decades later, his children Michael van Rensburg, Karen Pretorius and Nico van Rensburg carry on his legacy.

A legacy that was thought to be dying off between 2015 and 2022 because of various factors, including money, a dying culture and an inability to fully connect with the new generation.

Mick passed away in 2020, at a time when the family had to close Tarlton Raceway because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

But together, his three children have managed to navigate through the muck of running such a huge facility and is taking Mick van Rensburg legacy into the new generation. Suzette van Rensburg, their mother, is the only member of the family that does not like drag racing.