The South African Champion Top Ten: Peter de Klerk
This first part taken from the annals of the book, South African Champion, commences a short Auto Classic series focussing on the ten best drivers from the incredible history of South African Formula 1 and single-seater racing.
Among South Africa’s more colourful race drivers, Peter de Klerk, or PDK, as he was popularly known, was a quiet, soft-spoken guy around the pits and away from the circuit. But in the car, he was one of the very finest. Only cruel luck prevented this unsung hero from taking more than one South African Championship.
An expert technician as much as he was a race driver, PDK grew up in Pilgrim's Rest, where he served a mechanical apprenticeship, qualified, and hitchhiked from Durban to England to chase his dream of becoming a racing mechanic in 1958. On arrival, he approached Colin Chapman. PDK must have impressed the Lotus boss, who snapped de Klerk’s services up to build Coventry Climax racing engines in the shop. Alongside Mike Costin and Keith Duckworth, later to become Cosworth, and Graham Hill.
He also met fellow Saffers Doug Serrurier and Bill Dunlop while in England to establish contacts that would last a lifetime back home. When he did return, PDK worked on Syd van der Vyver's Cooper Alfa, where he learnt more about racing cars than anywhere else. He also had his first taste of race driving Syd’s Lotus driving after a Maritzburg meeting.
It took just one lap behind the wheel…
From that moment, Peter de Klerk simply knew he had to race! PDK moved to Johannesburg with friend Pat Phillips. On arrival, they noticed Doug Serrurier's Studebaker at the Alberton Hotel pub, pulled in for a drink, and ended up staying two years! PDK worked with Ernest Pieterse, and with Serrurier’s help, de Klerk and Phillips set out to build a dream.
The duo spent every spare hour constructing the Alfa Special out of nothing in a dusty Alberton Hotel garage shed. But Phillips crashed the car the first time out in a Kyalami club race, after which the Alfa Special took some time to rebuild. De Klerk however took over at the wheel and brought his home-made machine (top) home fourth behind Love, Serrurier, and Tingle on debut at Kyalami.
Several wins and podiums followed as PDK attracted Johannesburg businessman Jack Nucci’s attention to support his racing efforts. Peter drove the Alfa Special to third in both the 1962 and ’63 Championships and went one better when an overheating engine in the by then highly developed car (above) cost him the title to John Love in ’64. Colin Chapman told de Klerk to take the car to Europe. Jim Clark called the Alfa Special the fastest four-cylinder Formula 1 car of its era.
Brabham sold them a lemon
Ahead of the shift to 3-litre Formula 1, Nucci imported a Brabham BT11A Climax 2.5 (above) mid-season in ’65. Although de Klerk still claimed a second straight runner-up spot in the championship, Brabham had sold them a dud. It took the team almost a season to sort the car and finally beat Love, by when the leaders were switching to Repco V8 power. Downbeat de Klerk had ended second in the ’64 Kyalami 9 Hour with John Love in David Piper’s Ferrari 250 GTO and fourth with friend Mike d’Udy in a Porsche 904 GTS in the 1965 9 Hour.
Disillusioned with F1, PDK accepted d’Udy’s offer to share his Porsche Carrera 6 in a number of 1966 World Sportscar races. That led to Peter earning a Porsche factory drive and finishing a fine sixth at Le Mans with Udo Schütz in a 906 LE and fourth with d’Udy in the Circuito del Mugello. His Lola-Aston Martin retired early from the ’67 Le Mans before Peter returned home again.
PDK also won with wings & slicks on his return
He raced Jack Holme's Brabham BT20 Repco in the ’69 South African Grand Prix. He took the flag but was not classified. Peter drove Team Gunston’s Brabham BT26 Cosworth (above) in South African Formula 1 in 1970, ending eleventh in the South African Grand Prix and winning the Kyalami Republic Day Trophy en route to third in the championship.
Part-seasons followed in Lucky Strike Racing’s Lotus 49C in 1971 and ’72 and then in a Formula 2 Chevron B25 for Team Gunston in ’73. He made a few cameo sportscar, Formula Atlantic, and Formula South Africa appearances in the following years and PDK always stayed close to the sport and racing community.
A huge factor in mid-’60s South African Formula 1, Peter de Klerk slayed giants with the car he built himself in a dusty hotel shed. He went on to do incredible things with inferior machinery. Always the underdog, it never seemed to get him down. PDK was a hero, in every sense of the word. He passed away, aged 80, in 2015.
Despite never taking a title, Peter de Klerk is a most deserved member of the Top Ten Drivers in South African Champion history. All Peter de Klerk’s struggles, successes and victories are covered in great detail in South African Champion, alongside all his rivals, predecessors and those drivers who followed. Now available at R2750 including quick delivery in South Africa, log on to southafricanchampion.com for international pricing and to order your copy now.
Peter de Klerk
Major South African Championship Wins
1962 Heany Trophy Kumalo, Bulawayo* Alfa Romeo Special F1
1963 Rand Autumn Trophy Kyalami Lotus 23 Alfa Romeo
1963 SAGP Daily Dispatch Trophy* Alfa Romeo Special F1
1963 Dickie Dale Trophy Roy Hesketh* Alfa Romeo Special F1
1963 GP Moçambique LM* Alfa Romeo Special F1
1964 Republic Day Trophy Kyalami Alfa Romeo Special F1
1964 Rand Winter Trophy Kyalami Alfa Romeo Special F1
1964 Mashonaland Trophy Bulawayo* Alfa Romeo Special F1
1964 Ray Amm Memorial Bulawayo* Alfa Romeo Special F1
1965 Pat Fairfield Trophy Roy Hesketh Brabham BT11A Climax F1
1970 Republic Day Trophy Kyalami Brabham BT26A DFV F1
1972 Cape South Easter Killarney Lotus 49C Cosworth DFV F1
*Non-championship races
South African National Championship Record:
Wins: 6, Pole Positions: 5, Fastest Laps: 6, Best Result: 2nd (twice)
South African Drivers Championship Results
1962 3rd Alfa Romeo Special F1
1963 4th Alfa Romeo Special F1
1964 2nd Alfa Romeo Special F1
1965 2nd Alfa Romeo Special & Brabham BT11A Climax F1
1966 7th Brabham BT11A Climax F1
1970 3rd Brabham BT20 Repco & Brabham BT26 DFV F1
1971 8th Lotus 49C DFV F1
1972 7th Lotus 49C DFV F1
1973 14th Chevron B25 FVC (6th in F2)
