01 Jul KILLARNEY STALWARTS HONOURED AT WPMC AGM

Five men who have between them devoted 172 years of service to Killarney, not because it is their job but
for the good of the sport, were honoured at the 2024 AGM of the Western Province Motor Club on Thursday
27 June.
DANIEL SIMONIS began his racing career many years ago racing single-seaters, several times finishing the
points table in the top three of his class, until he suffered a major heart attack in 2015. Five months and a
triple bypass later he was back at Killarney, this time racing karts. He was soon competitive again, finishing
his rookie year near the top of his class, and was awarded Sportsman of the Year.
The following year he decided it was time to give back, and approached Clerk of the Course Brian Hoskins to
ask what he could do for Killarney. He soon became a valued and highly qualified member of the Race
Control team, while still also being active in the karting section as a scrutineer.
For the past eight years he has been a constant presence on race days, always pulling his weight and getting
it done with this characteristic smile. For his dedicated service, he was presented with an Honours Award.
Some members of the Killarney family are so steadfast in their support that we tend to take them for
granted.
JOHN VAN NIEKERK is one of the most steadfast.
Born into a motorsport family, he has supported the Western Province Motor Club his whole life. He stood
by us through the Covid lockdown when so many others fell by the wayside and for many years, he has been
one of Killarney’s most important sponsors, supporting regional, national and international events, including
World Rallycross among others.
He not only sponsored the Power Series for 10 years, he also even helped us find additional sponsors. He has
also sponsored a number of local competitors, as well as being active for many years in the Cape Helldrivers,
who run their events at Killarney.
But he has given so much more to Killarney than money; he has imbued his family with his passion for
motorsport, he has given of his time, ideas and effort to make things happen, and in the process, he has
become universally respected for putting motorsport first and himself second.
He is more than a sponsor and an outstanding member of the Killarney family; he is a friend to Killarney in
every way. As a token of respect and appreciation for a lifetime of sponsorship and support, the WPMC has
bestowed Honorary Life Membership on John van Niekerk
The Senior Marshals are on duty around the track in all seasons and in all kinds of weather, always at their
posts, making racing safer for the competitors, helping to make race days run more smoothly and serving as
role models for their younger colleagues. Their network of flags, communicating track conditions and
hazards to the competitors, and their immediate assistance when things do go wrong on circuit, are key to
making motorsport as safe as it can be.
PAUL LEHMANN has served the WPMC for 39 years; his dedication and professionalism are a sterling
example to the younger marshals and the members in general. The WPMC is pleased to award him Honorary Life Membership.
PHIL HERHOLDT began his racing career in a V8 stock car at the Boland oval track in the early 1960s; he
moved to Cape Helldrivers in 1967, in which year he was awarded Best Newcomer. He later became a
marshal and then official starter for Cape Helldrivers.
In 1974 he was persuaded by Brian Hoskins to move to Killarney, initially as a scrutineer – where he once had
the dubious honour of stripping Giniel de Villiers’ car! In the early 1980s, he became a Clerk of the Course
and still serves the Club in that capacity, more than forty years later.
He is currently the chairman of the Drag Racing section and, after 50 years of service to the Western
Province Motor Club, has no intention of retiring any time soon. For his dedicated service, the WPMC has
bestowed Honorary Life Membership on Phil Herholdt.
AND FINALLY
What can you give the man who was instrumental in the creation of the Killarney International Raceway in
1960 and the formation of the Western Province Motor Club in 1965, who has dedicated 65 years to
motorsport as a successful competitor and an even more successful administrator – and who has already
been honoured with every award this Club can bestow on him?
DENIS JOUBERT was the first secretary of the Western Province Motor Club, serving from 1965 until 1970,
when he was elected Chairman, a post he held for 36 years. When he finally stood down as chairman of
WPMC in 2006 he stayed involved at Killarney; he served as Honorary president of WPMC from 2014 until
2019 and is still to this day an active member of the Club’s Management Committee.
In honour of Denis’ 90 th birthday on 18 June, the fifth round of the 2024 Power Series on Saturday 27 July will
be celebrated as the Denis Joubert Race Day, in a tribute to a true statesman of motorsport and a
remarkable racing driver.
Sadly, neither Denis, Paul or John were able to attend the AGM; in the picture we see (from left to right) Phil
Herholdt, WPMC Chairman Tim Reddell, Daniel Simonis and Killarney Executive Manager Des Easom.