CONCORD, N.C. — Living and racing around South Africa for most of his life, Luke Drotschie longed for an opportunity to race consistently on the dirt and take his motorsports career to the next level.
In 2024, the 20-year-old is cashing in on an opportunity to race for Keith Kunz Motorsports and chase the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota, joining full-time teammates Ryan Timms and Gavin Miller for his national midget rookie campaign.
“It’s definitely a huge undertaking,” Drotschie said. “I’m pretty nervous going into this, but also at the same time, I have a lot of confidence going into this with a team like KKM, knowing I’ve got some of the best guys guiding me and some of the best cars on the track.”
Hailing from the city of Cape Town — South Africa’s legislative capital — Drotschie is a third-generation racer who spent much of his youth as a kart racer on both asphalt and dirt around his homeland.
After some time in his late teens piloting Outlaw Karts and even a brief stint in a super late model, he came to the US in 2022 for his first test session in a micro sprint with renown champion Frank Flud before landing a ride with Mooresville, N.C.-based micro team Dave Mac-Barnhill Motorsports in July 2023.
Right away, Drotschie noticed the differences in the car, track and the flow of the race program as he competed in weekly events at nearby Millbridge Speedway.
“It was definitely quite a learning experience,” Drotschie said. “It’s quite a lot, just getting into a micro from an asphalt kart is quite a big difference. All the suspension, the way the car reacts, the way it drives.
“Also, the way the racing works here. The racing format that we run back home is a little different, so just getting used to all of that was definitely a big learning experience. But I also felt like it gave me a good base to work off of for this year for the midget season.”
Luke’s father, Gunter Drotschie, lit the flame early on in his son’s career and helped pave the way for it to blossom in the U.S. As owner of Cape Town-based G+A Motorsport — an international fire suit manufacturing and racing parts retailer — Gunter has been a frequent visitor to the States over the last 15 years.
In his travels, he met American open-wheel racing industry professionals like Flud, Dave McIntosh, Bundy Mitchell and Keith Kunz, who Luke will receive tutelage from this season.
“The goal has always been to race midgets and to be running half-decently or up front in the midget,” Luke Drotschie said. “I think what we’re doing this year, partnering up with Keith and everything, we’re doing the best thing to achieve that.”
While nearly every track on the 2024 series schedule will be new to him, Drotschie is embracing the challenge with confidence.
He’s come to the U.S. to chase a dream and said it’s about time to make it reality.
“One thing is the age thing,” Drotschie said. “I’m getting a little older, I’m not super young anymore. I think there’s no time like the present to jump on the bandwagon, pull the trigger and make it happen.”