A book that feels like a trophy
Some books belong on a shelf. Others demand to be displayed like a piece of art. South African Champion, Michele Lupini’s monumental motorsport chronicle, falls into the latter category. At 4kg, housed in a custom hard case, this isn’t just a book, it’s a statement piece, a coffee-table giant that doubles as both history and homage.
But size isn’t what makes it special. What Lupini has achieved is something South African motorsport has long needed: a definitive record of its Formula 1 and single-seater racing story, told with heart, artistry, and meticulous research.
Racing history, retold with colour and care
Flipping through the pages, one quickly sees this isn’t a dry reference manual. Instead, Lupini crafts a chronological journey, weaving together reports from old racing publications like Cars in Action with his own voice and vision. The result is a living, breathing narrative of South Africa’s racing heyday.
What really sets the book apart is its visual storytelling. Rather than relying only on fading black-and-white photographs, Lupini illustrates key moments himself. These vibrant, dynamic artworks bring the past into the present—turning dusty archives into full-throttle scenes you can almost hear and feel.
From the menacing Auto Union machines roaring through East London in 1937 to the heartbreak of John Love’s fuel-stop mishap at Kyalami in 1967, the illustrations give readers something photographs cannot: atmosphere, interpretation, and imagination.
Celebrating legends, acknowledging politics
South African Champion is not afraid to show both pride and pain. It celebrates icons like Rhodesian underdog John Love and South Africa’s own Jody Scheckter, who thrilled local fans with his 1975 home victory. It revisits Nelson Piquet’s unlikely 1983 championship clincher in South Africa, a reminder that the country once hosted racing’s greatest stages.
But it also deals honestly with the uncomfortable truth: by 1985, political turmoil and international sanctions forced South Africa off the Formula 1 calendar. The book doesn’t shy away from that history. Instead, it positions motorsport within the broader story of a country grappling with global isolation.
Why this book matters now
South Africa’s racing culture is alive, but it doesn’t dominate headlines like in Europe or the US. Lupini’s work feels like an act of preservation, a way of ensuring that future generations remember that Kyalami once stood shoulder to shoulder with Silverstone and Monza.
In a way, the book is as much about national pride as it is about motorsport. It captures a time when South Africans could watch the best in the world compete on home soil, and when the roar of engines at Kyalami was a soundtrack to ambition and possibility.
A collector’s masterpiece
At R3,350 and limited to 500 copies, South African Champion is not cheap. But like any rare collector’s item, its value lies in its uniqueness. For motorsport enthusiasts, historians, or anyone with a love for South Africa’s place in global sporting history, it is a treasure.
More than a book, it is a monument, a work of passion created by someone who clearly loves the sport as much as the fans who lived through it.
Michele Lupini has given South African motorsport the book it deserves: lavish, authoritative, and deeply personal. South African Champion is not just for racing fans, it’s for anyone who values history told with reverence and flair.
This isn’t just a purchase. It’s an heirloom.
{Source: The South African}
Featured Image: X {@Ray_Leathern}
