2. It’s an often overused statement to describe a racing driver, but in my
case it could not have been more true. Before I was capable of speak-
ing I was already wearing my father's motorbike helmet while riding a
classic plastic push bike around the house.
I have few memories of my early childhood, but what stands out most
are the hours I’d spend staring at photos of my dad racing in the UK. At
the time there was no doubt in my mind that I’d become a racing driver
just like he once was.
It wasn’t until I was 15 years old that I’d get my first real opportunity to
race. After years of begging my parents I was finally given a go-kart and
entered into my first race. From that moment on my childhood dreams
had been justified and over the coming years I’d go on to win many
races against the country’s, and world’s, finest.
By time I was 23 I had reached my peak in karting and got a last minute
offer to compete in a new ‘single seater’ series called Formula VW. Strict
rules meant no practice or testing was allowed. I seemed to take to it
like a duck to water, however before the season hit the halfway mark I
was forced to stop due to a lack of funds - a common occurrence in the
world of racing.
Unable to find a solution I turned my attention to a web company my
brother and I had co-founded in our late teens, called Obox, with the
intention of saving up as much money as possible in order to make a
comeback in my later years.
In order to maximise work time I moved the office couch next to my
desk and spent months tirelessly working and sleeping in the office.
During that period we started a video blog called From the Couch which
was unique for being the only daily video blog about technology. We
built up a strong reputation in the industry and reached over 40,000
viewers a month with it.
As a result of From the Couch, business took off and I was finally able to
save up some money for a shot at racing.
Close to five years later of hard work, 48 hour days and an unwilling-
ness to give up I finally reached a point where I could consider a return
to racing. That being said there wasn’t exactly a red carpet laid out
waiting for me, so I had to improvise.
There’s a popular saying in the motorsport
world about a driver being born with a
helmet on their head.
DAVID PEREL’S STORY
A young version of me, with my
helmet on, dreaming of racing
BORN
May 1985
LIVES
Cape Town
South Africa
OCCUPATION
Co-founder and CEO
of Obox Themes
3. While watching the Le Mans 24 hour race I downloaded a list of all the
teams that entered the event and set about phoning, emailing and
skyping each and every one in search of a race seat.
Of the 30+ teams I called, all said “No”, except one… RAM Racing. They
gave me a rundown of the numbers required, but said that there was no
space for me in their team, however as our conversation was ending
they mentioned a European series called Lamborghini Super Trofeo.
That nugget of information eventually lead me to a team in Italy which
ran two Lamborghini racing cars and it so happened that they had a
seat available for a driver who was willing to pay for it.
After much negotiation I handed over my 5 years of savings and
hopped on a plane to compete in the Italian GT Championship for
Lamborghini and Team EuroTech. Given that I hadn’t raced at this level
for a long time my expectations were low, but things went well and I was
lucky enough to work with a very influential engineer - Gianfranco Bielli
- who was impressed with my approach.
During our last night in Italy, while having dinner, Gianfranco asked me
what I had planned for the future because, “we have a problem... you
can become a professional racing driver.”
What followed has been a whirlwind of racing that I never anticipated
occurring. From a European Championship event in
Malaysia to race wins and podiums in Italy.
A successful season in the Italian GT Championship netted me second
place and included more wins, pole positions and fastest laps than any
other driver in the field.
My performance in his first ever European season led to an offer from
Kessel Racing Ferrari.
My 2016 season included competing in highly competitive the
Blancpain GT Series, GT Open and Gulf 12 Hour.
Highlights included 3 wins, 5 front row starts and purple sectors at the
Spa and Hungaroring Blancpain Events.
We ended on a high in 2016 when I helped Kessel Ferrari finish first in
class and 5th overall in the Gulf 12 Hour in Abu Dhabi.
DAVID PEREL’S STORY
We have a
problem, you can
become a
professional
racing
driver
“
4. KARTING HIGHLIGHTS
2000 Started Racing
2007 1st South African Rotax Max Championship
2007 6th Rotax Max Challenge World Finals
2012 2nd African Rotax Max Championship
2015 GT RACING
Italian GT Championship Vice Champion
9 Front Row Starts
9 Podiums
7 Wins
5 Fastest Laps
3 Pole Positions
DAVID PEREL.NET
2,200 Instagram followers
7,000 Facebook fans
8,700 Twitter followers
66,000 YouTube views
MEDIA ASSOCIATIONS
GTSpirit.com
Motorsport.com
Autogespot
2OceansVibe
CarBlog.co.za
COLLECTIVE EXPOSURE
7 million visitors per month
RACING HIGHLIGHTS
2016 HIGHLIGHTS
Silverstone 3 Hour Blancpain Endurance Series
Pole Position
Paul Ricard 6 Hour Blancpain Endurance Series
Pole Position
SPA 24 Hour Blancpain Endurance Series
Purple Sector 1 & 3 Warm Up
Hungaroring Blancpain Sprint Series
Qualified 2nd
3rd Place in Qualifying Race
1st Place in Main Race
Purple Sector 1 in Main Race
GT Open Final
1st Place in Main Race
Qualified 2nd
Gulf 12 Hour
1st Place in Main Race
Qualified 2nd
2016 GT RACING (AM)
5 Front Row Starts
4 Podiums
3 Wins
2 Pole Positions
3 Fastest Sectors
