LIKE a touch of egg yellow colouring in a pot of freshly boiled rice, just a hint can make a huge impact. In this case, drag racer Sammy Ranjeeth is the rice and the Durban car culture is the colouring that’s impacted her life.
Growing up Ranjeeth went on drives with her family along the KwaZulu-Natal south coast in their collection of classic Ford cars - like the XR6 Sierra, Cortina 3.0S and Granada. The experience left a deep impression on her, and when she heard the rumble of a V6, she just knew she wanted to race.
Now, at age 27 and driving a 2015 Sepang blue Audi S3 sedan named Shivaay (yes, she named the car after the Hindu God), Ranjeeth is giving the boys a run for their money with her heavy right foot.
The influence of the early classic Fords laid the foundation for her expensive hobby that she holds dear to her heart today - racing.
“Some of the fondest memories I have as a child are of us going down to the south coast to visit family. We also went a lot to the Wild Coast resort. It used to be my dad and uncles and they all had these fast, old school Fords. There was a Cortina, a XR6 Sierra and a Granada that my dad keeps talking about, so I know he must have really liked that car. I think those drives started that fire. It made me want to get into racing or just drive fast for that matter,” said Ranjeeth.
She started out in a Chevrolet Cruze, arguably not the fastest car to drive if your right foot has the tendency to start itching once you’re behind the wheel of a car.
Then came her first sports car, a yellow Audi S4 in Imola yellow, which she said, “had a special look from the first time I saw it”.
“That car was just a different driving experience. It had a 3 litre V6 supercharged engine. It was fast, big, and a thrill to drive. It was not a race car. The inside was quite nice. It was neat and had a luxurious interior but it was a unique car.
“The whine of the supercharger when you rev up and down was definitely my favourite part. We changed the pulleys on the supercharger and replaced them with racing pulleys, so it had a nice sound to it,” she recalled
After the yellow S4, Ranjeeth drove a Golf 6 GTI. She said it was also special in its own right, as it housed an adaptable DCC system, which tightened up the steering and suspension and allowed the car to corner faster.
The DCC is an intuitive electronic driving system that monitors the terrain and adjusts your suspension accordingly as you drive.
“In the yellow Audi, you could feel the back slip out at times but the Golf 6 was stuck to the road because of that system."
The Sepang blue Audi S3 sedan finally ended up in her possession, kitted with a four-wheel drivetrain and a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine from the German scientists. It ran a fastest time of 10.8 seconds down the quarter mile.
It’s meant to be a family car with a bit of vroom, but Ranjeeth had other ideas for Shivaay.
With her confidence brimming, backed by memories of her childhood heroes and their cars, Ranjeeth decided to take the S3 to the dancefloor with the "big boys".
She has entered two drag events at the Dezzi Raceway in Port Shepstone since committing to racing.
Sandra Ranjeeth said her daughter had talked about racing since she was little, especially in conversations with her father.
“I’m happy that she's following through with the racing because it's something she and her dad always talked about. It is dangerous but it’s what she wants to do.
“Ever since she was small, she talked about building a fast car and her father always encouraged her, so I know he’s happy about it as well. Back then, we all had nice cars, my husband and his brothers. My husband had a Cortina.
“Since starting, she went to these events and then messaged back home to tell us how she did. Her father would ask how many races she had won, so they are excited about it," said her mom.
Her spirit and guts have already captured the attention of a sponsor, for which she is “extremely grateful” because there’s a stigma attached to drag racing.
Ranjeeth plans to build a stronger car as the S3 currently runs on stock internals with supporting modifications.
Together with Hareesh Maharaj from DNA Performance in Verulam - responsible for tuning and upgrades to the vehicle - Ranjeeth wants to enter the low 10s and possibly nine second bracket soon.