Jiovanni Bothma
Jiovanni Bothma is all too familiar in his hometown of Paarl in the Boland. The self-made man is not just a hustler with a sound mind for business, but he is also a massive petrolhead. But more, a racer.
Vanni, or Balla as he’s more commonly known, is one of the more prominent names and faces in Paarl’s car scene. Be it stance or drag races, it is not an event to write home about if this personality wasn’t there.
His name precedes him. His reputation demands respect. And he is seen as one of the leaders in this community’s car scene.
“I’m just a normal guy,” he says when we started mentioning his impact on Paarl’s car scene.
“The thing is, just because I can drive en ek ‘n paar ouens se dakke al gevat het, people look up to me. But this car can’t perform if I don’t have the support of everyone who helped build it. Stress VVL is not just me, it’s everyone!”
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Giving back
When you see Balla’s car, apart from the race-ready looks, you quickly notice the stickers. From the windscreen to the boot, there are names of people and business on almost every panel. And there is a very simple reason for it: “It’s a thank you.”
Vanni explains that people, especially those in the city, almost look down on the independent service providers from the countryside. There’s a stigma that because they’re outside, they do not have access to resources. But the thing is, they do – they may just not have access to it as quickly, but they do.
And even if they don’t have access, they will make a plan.
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“The majority, say 80%, of the people who helped me, is from Paarl,” Balla continues.
“In the khasi you will hear how people talk and say that outsiders say that we are plaas boesmanne, that we don’t know what we’re doing. But look here, we know what we’re doing, and that’s why I am showing it on the car.”
Stress VLL currently runs a 12.4 seconds 1/4-mile time, but Vanni and his technical support are working on dropping the time into the 11s.
