Hi to all my readers. It is with great joy that I announce a partnership agreement for All Things Jabu. Lil Vale has agreed to come on board and write blog entries for All Things Jabu as well as for his own site http://dirkvale.worpress.com/. A short note from me, Lil Vale is a goalkeeper for my soccer side the Cannons and a media relation man of note. He is the son of All Things Jabu favourite Clare Vale and has grown up around motor vehicles. He might be wrong in supporting Man City, Sundowns and Alonso, but he has valuable insight and will no doubt add great value to the All Things Jabu site.
So here it is from the man himself, The Lil Vale Profile
I am lucky enough to have two racing driver parents. My father is an ex off road racer, THE Don Vale, infamous for a lot of things but in a car he had no fear and would go flat out through dust storms. No slowing down or checking anything. He is THE Don, it’s the way he is. He’s raced the hardest off road rallies in the world the South African rally – The Roof of Africa 13 - times, not the new one but the old even more hardcore one. He did the Roof in everything from bikes to an Austin Marina car. He raced alongside the likes of Geoff Mortimer and Richard Leeke. He has since retired from racing.
My mother is The First Lady, Mrs Fast, she is Clare Vale. She was the first, and so far only, lady racer to race in Production Cars Class A in a Subaru which unfortunately ended as quickly as it began. It lead to her racing in the WesBank V8 Supercar series in a 600hp Mustang. She was the first lady to race in this series and went on to have a pole position, lead a race and recently at the East London circuit finish on the podium. At East London the V8s reach speeds of 300kmph. She raced alongside the likes of Hennie Groenewald and Willie Hepburn. There is also a drift car being built and she’s currently racing a Porsche 917 in the Zwartkops International. We also work closely with the Anne van Dyk Cheetah Trust and the Road Safety Foundation. No matter who you are, it is important to give back. You only keep what you have by giving it away.
I’ve grown up with cars and in cars. I’m admittedly better behind the wheel than under the bonnet, but I was brought up by racing drivers and not mechanics! I may be racing myself this year but this is TBA. I have raced in 12 hour endurance karting races, where in the last two years my team has managed to beat my Mom’s!
My great uncle was Captain “Jack” Duff; he in his time set multiple speed records and was one of the original Bentley Boys. He raced in the first ever Le Mans finishing 3rd and won the second Le Mans famously in a Bentley. He raced all around world and competed in races such as the Indianapolis 500.
Through racing I have also made some wonderful friends in other sports. I work closely with Brian Baloyi these days, particularly with his Foundation, which is an amazing cause. He has converted me into a Mamelodi Sundowns fan and you’ll find me at most of their home games at the magnificent Super Stadium in Atteridgeville. I am also a massive Manchester City fan and also support Barcelona, but more so I am a fan of football. I am lucky to be able to call guys like Josta Dladla and Robert Marawa friends, which means you will be getting some nice interviews from them at some point.
My interest in sport doesn’t stop there, though. I went to a sporting school, I am a Bishops boy, so luckily I grew up feeling that sports were important and I had guys like JJ Gagiano and Francois Louw in the year below me. Being a Cape Town boy means I support the Stormers, Province and the Cobras, of course. Living in Jozi has led to a soft for the locals teams, though. Hardly any bias from me then!
I am of course opinionated but hopefully this will be more interesting than anything else! Expect some unexpected interviews and from a racing perspective I will try and give you a behind the scenes insights and information. It is not as glamorous as it seems. More oil than suits.
Tomorrow I will post Mr Vale's first assignment that I asked him to write... The preview of the 2011 F1 season!
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