SA racing icon Willie Hepburn dies aged 82

SA motorsport legend Willie Hepburn has died at the age of 82.

The Durban-born, Edenvale-based racing driver started his illustrious career in 1965 when, aged 23, he entered his private Austin 1000 road car at an event at Midrand’s Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit. He missed qualifying, started in 36th position on the grid and won the race. 

Hepburn soon traded his machinery and starting competing in events including drag and oval track racing. A trained mechanic, he built and worked on all his cars himself, a strength he put to practice in the late 1970s when he competed in tuned rotary-powered Mazda RX2 and Capella models.

The relationship with the Japanese brand continued into the 1980s when he campaigned in a RX-7 at SA’s then popular and hotly contested Group 1 race series. Conquering the likes of BMW and Alfa Romeo, Hepburn took the title in 1984. 

Graduating to the top-tier WesBank Modified Saloon Car class in 1988, Hepburn became a firm crowd favourite behind the wheel of a particularly rambunctious V8 Ford Sierra XR8 affectionately known as the “Animal”.

Thereafter he forged a relationship with Opel, and in the 1990s commandeered a red-and-white V8 Opel Rekord in the same series as well as an Opel Kadett Superboss in the ultra-competitive Group N series. 

Over that decade Hepburn also set an overall SA land speed record in his 7.0l twin-turbocharged Pontiac TransAm. Achieved on a section of the N3 highway near Villiers in the Free State, he clocked an incredible 372km/h — on standard road tyres. It remains the top speed recorded by a road-legal car in the country.

Still addicted to the thrill of the chase, the veteran campaigner continued racing well into the next millennium, chasing titles in the Wesbank V8 Supercars series. He finished third overall in 2008 at the age of 66.

Though no longer competing full time, Hepburn steered his bright-orange Corvette V8 to victory at a race event held at Cape Town’s Killarney Raceway in 2013. Aged 71, Hepburn’s made him the oldest person to win a national championship race in SA.

After being awarded with Motorsport SA’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014, Hepburn focused his attention on the burgeoning historic racing scene, running his trusty Opel Rekord in different classes with much success.

He also became a regular at the Simola Hillclimb, scooping the Spirit of Dave Charlton trophy in 2018, a coveted award for attention to detail, meticulous preparation and commendable performance.

His enthusiastic, hands-on approach, willingness to help rivals and undeniable skill behind the wheel made Hepburn an icon of a SA several motorsport generations.