GLENN HOLLANDS
As SA begins the bidding to host a Formula One grand prix, Kyalami will inevitably feature as a high-profile contender, along with possibly the Phakisa Raceway in Welkom.
Some Eastern Cape punters may even get behind “Wakanda City”, a utopian vision for the Sundays River area. But what of East London and its unmatched claim to be the historical home of grand prix racing in SA?
The city hosted the first SA Grand Prix way back in 1934 and only relinquished its prized Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) grand prix status in 1966, when the race moved to Kyalami.
In a recent Daily Dispatch article headlined “The forgotten motor racing legend”, a few critical details emerged about the hitherto mysterious James Herbert Case, the unassuming salesman who stood on the 1934 grand prix podium in second place, alongside winning US racing millionaire Whitney Straight.
With some minor historical sleuthing, I was able to track down and chat to Peter-John Case, the 48-year-old grandson of the largely forgotten but remarkable James Case. Peter-John was born in Gqeberha but has lived in East London since 2015.
Q: Your grandfather came second in the first SA Grand Prix in 1934 in East London, but he was by all accounts a humble man and remained mostly unknown despite this achievement.
A: We never really discussed it — the men in the family are very quiet and quite reserved, and though we are aware of the achievement, we don’t talk about it much. My father and grandfather were the same.
Q: Did anyone else in the family try to pick up where James Herbert left off — by getting into racing?
A: Not really. I think my dad would like to have done something in racing but it was a matter of the costs. My dad met my mom, who was from Germany, and started a family, and that was the priority. Racing is expensive, and unless you have the resources it’s not realistic. I myself would love to have found the original race car — it’s a key missing piece of the puzzle. My late dad told me it was sold to a farmer in the Free State for the engine to be used as a water pump! Because it was never registered after an accident (that resulted in it being turned into a race car) it was impossible to trace. I’d loved to have restored it and paraded it around the East London Grand Prix circuit. One day, if I have the resources, I might consider building a replica.
Q: It may surprise many to learn that a 1934 Ford dealership in Komani (then Queenstown) was able to build and race a modified sedan in an international grand prix with your grandfather as the driver.
A: My dad compiled a short book about the circumstances. The original car had been rolled and nobody knew what to do with the wreck. My grandfather and his colleagues approached the owners of Scott Brothers and Greaves garage in Queenstown to enter the car in the 1934 grand prix and things took off from there.
There was great respect for my grandfather as the 1934 letter from Scott Brothers shows. (The letter urges Case to take care and not to exceed 100mph; it further adds “there are any amount of Fords but only one Case”). The garage also saw the opportunity for some advertising and went on to promote their business on the basis that their car had achieved second place.
Q: Does the Eastern Cape have a special place in the hearts of the Case family?
A: The family is rooted in the Eastern Cape, around Komani and Cathcart. I was born in Port Elizabeth. My parents studied at Rhodes University. My dad worked in the agricultural industry and moved to Johannesburg for work purposes in about 1987 but returned to the Eastern Cape after about four or five years when it became too stressful. It wasn’t really because of my grandfather’s racing achievements — we, as a family, just liked the Eastern Cape.
Q: Have some of JH’s racing gear remained in the family — the overalls, trophy, medals and pictures of him and the car?
A: Years ago my dad donated one set of overalls, a pair of racing goggles and a pair of leather gloves to the Queenstown museum — I’m not sure if they remain on display today. [Other items] have been passed down to me and I’ve thought of donating them to a museum. It’s a difficult decision because some of the material that has been donated to public museums has been lost or stolen, especially if they are items that have monetary value.
