30 Sep RIP DAVE ESMENT
The South African motorsport fraternity were shocked to learn of the tragic passing on Wednesday 24 September of Superbike and Grand Prix Motorcycle racer, photographer and videographer, Dave Estment.
As did so many talented riders, Dave began life working with his hands; he studied Mechanical Engineering and qualified as a toolmaker.
He burst onto the South African motorcycle racing scene in 1980 when he won the very first National race he ever entered, that year’s PE 200. He soon gained a well-earned reputation as a very hard rider and a crasher of note – but when he wasn’t throwing his bike at the scenery he was very, very fast, representing South Africa on a number of occasions.
Dave surprised a lot of people with a superb ride to 23rd in the 1985 South African 250cc Grand Prix at Kyalami, on a box-stock, totally uncompetitive customer-spec Honda RS250 – having ridden the entire weekend on just one set of tyres!
He retired from professional racing after nine unforgettable years – mention the name Estment to anybody who was around motorcycle racing during the 1980s and you’ll get an instant grin – and went into corporate finance, all the while building a huge reputation as an action and wildlife photographer and videographer.
Since 1996 his work has been widely published in in books, magazines, websites, calendars and image libraries, as well as an award-winning blog, and in January 2001 he and his wife Naomi, also a photographer, turned a passion into a profession when they founded Outdoor Video and Photographic.
He recent years, however, Dave endured a debilitating battle with mental and physical health challenges, which became worse after a failed cochlear implant that caused an onslaught of infection, intensely compromising his abilities in the field he was so passionate about.
He will always be remembered for his utter fearlessness, his zest for life and his trademark grin. Our thoughts and prayers are with Naomi and the Estment family; his passing leaves a gap in South Africa’s motorcycle racing legend that will never be filled.