Preparing a racing car is never an easy job. Imagine then, getting six cars ready for the opening round of the Wesbank V8 championship.
Andrew Markham (34) did exactly that, and what’s more, all six cars were running strongly when the chequered flag was waved at Kyalami this past Saturday, he being rewarded with the prizemoney and trophy that comes with the Sasol/SA Racer Top Tech Award, for the technician in the SAMCAR series in 2005.
A former multiple SA karting champion, he runs Markham Motorsport from a modestly equipped workshop in Johannesburg’s southern suburbs and prepares Wesbank V8s contesting the GT3 class. “We had to convert the cars from Sascar specification and do the development work – we’ve been quite busy,” he said matter of factly.
Markham is no stranger to motorsport, after competing successfully, he went into the preparation business and opened Markham Motorsport five years ago and has prepared everything from karts and single seaters to off-road specials. “My right-hand man is ‘Goofy’. He’s been with me from the start, his real name is William Jonas, but everyone calls him Goofy.” Markham firmly believes in a methodical approach where attention to detail is critical.
Married with an eight month old son, he finds it difficult to escape from motorsport as his wife, Natasha, is the daughter of off-road racing hell-raiser Arthur Harcus.
