Rising star 16-year-old Dhivyen Naidoo from Ballito, KwaZulu-Natal, is carving a name for himself in the motorsport industry. He started go-karting at age six, earned his KZN colours at age 11 and became the youngest of four racers to represent South Africa at the FIA Motorsport Games in France at age 14. He is now thriving in his second season in the Dunlop-sponsored Volkswagen Rookie Cup.

Not many brothers would encourage their younger siblings to get behind the wheel. But when Dhivyen was six years old, his older brother and driving mentor, Shrien – a name synonymous with racing - introduced him to karting, and he’s been hooked ever since.

In fact, it soon became a family activity.

“Every Friday after school, my mom and dad would take me to practice at the iDube Raceway, which I thoroughly enjoyed,” said Dhivyen.

A love for cars must run in the family, as Dhivyen recalled his earliest car memory involved his grandfather taking him for a drive in his Alfa Romeo GTV6 when Dhivyen was about four years old.

However, he credits his motivator as his brother. “He believes in me and my skill, as is always trying to push me to my limits on the race track, but we still do debate about who is the best,” he laughs.

With ten years of driving experience under his belt, Dhivyen says the highlight was competing in the FIA Motorsport Games in Marseilles, France in 2022. He was the youngest of four racers selected to represent SA. He’s also proud of winning his first national go-karting event in 2019. The impressive kart racer was also the KZN Kart Club Driver of the Year recipient.

Dhivyen was one of three youngsters who starred in the first VW Rookie Cup in 2023 where he dominated at the Killarney International Raceway during the National Extreme Festival. With six young drivers this year, Dhivyen is set on making his name stand out.

The Rookie Cup, open to young race drivers between 14 and 16 years old, was established to deliver a solid platform for young karters to step up to main circuit racing. It serves as a motor racing academy where each Rookie Cup driver is schooled in race fitness, readiness, teamwork, data analysis and television and media training.

And he’s making good use of the training.

Dhivyen’s typical race preparation entails weight training to keep fit and, because there are no main circuit tracks in Durban, he often practices on a simulator to get him race ready.

“I love motorsport because when you drive, everything around you slows down. You become one with the vehicle and the race track which truly makes me feel at peace.”

When he’s not on the race track or keeping ahead of his school work, you’ll find him either on the sports field playing soccer or hockey, or on stage playing the drums or saxophone.

The aspiring endurance driver encourages everyone to follow or participate in motorsport. “It’s a unique sport offering high-speed, wheel-to-wheel racing where drivers battle for position and it’s extremely enjoyable. I encourage everyone to give it a try if you can!”